Calantha
She had not kept track of the time as they rode along over the golden hills and through the cover of trees. The entire terrain was unknown to her and she gazed closely at every scene they passed.
It was not until they hit plains of green that she noticed the place of the sun in the sky seeing it lowering. "Princess, if you are tired or hungry it would be wise to stop here before we come to close to the city." Adofo suggested, but she shook her head.
"If everyone else can continue on, I will wait to rest once we reach the city." She answered assuredly.
"You will not gain much rest within the walls of Calantha." Spoke Abbas who steered his horse to trot next to her. "It is known as the city of darkness. In the day most go about their business, but as night draws near the people of the city hurry inside running from the night." He stopped for a moment to look at her.
"Besides the color of the night what is it the people fear?" She asked knowing he had awaited her consent to go on.
"Dark creatures…that is all that is said. Not even the guards know what goes bump in the night."
"They have not investigated into what exactly this could be?"
"It could be many creatures, it could be wizards causing the scare, and then it could be nothing." Explained Adofo who then looked to Abbas giving him a hard look. "If it is your wish that we continue on then we shall." She nodded to this, but turned back to Abbas.
"Any evidence left behind anything that could give us a hint as to what "goes bump in the night"?"
"Princess, if I may say we are there for a night, not longer. It is not wise to have the country's princess stay long in one of its most dangerous cities." Said Adofo.
Her features turned to ones of her school days. An unending curiosity lay upon them as she nodded though not allowing the subject to leave her mind. Adofo returned to his position as the head of the group while Blaise turned up at her side. "I'm not sure whether I like that look." She turned to see a smirk upon his own features only to have her own lips curl into one. "But I am positive I don't like that one. Do you honestly realize how much you look like Draco when you do that?"
She couldn't help but laugh at the mock horror on his face.
It took much longer than she anticipated before a city came into their view. It sat in a valley though it was built upward onto the surrounding hills. Great walls surrounded it making it strong and uninviting.
"It looks guarded well, why isn't Medora guarded as well?" She asked still looking closely at the city taking in all she could at the distance they were at.
"It is. Merely more discretely than Calantha. Calantha is knowingly dangerous and much more so than Medora." Explained Adofo.
"If this is so then why do people bother to live here? Medora is only a day's ride away." She walked her horse a bit away from them as though trying to get a better look.
"Clantha was not always this way. Years ago it was a beautiful city filled with the life and beauty its very name came from. Calantha is Greek for tree blossoms and there were many of them. Though the only evidence of it now are the murals painted on the richest buildings of the city." It was Abbas who explained this.
She didn't speak anymore, but only nodded seeming to the others almost sadden by the facts she was given. "We must enter and get to our shelter for the night. As you've been told it does not bode well to be out at night in this city." Spoke Adofo gravely.
As they rode closer Katherine could see the guards on both the wall and before the gate. "Heavily guarded entrance." At these words Adofo rode in front of her causing her to halt her horse.
"Princess, I must request you keep you identity a secret while in this city. Because of the rumored darkness that nests in it, it has attracted a certain type of wizards and witches that would do anything to get their hands on you."
She nodded. "I see." With this she pulled out her wand and, pulling down the hood of her cloak, changed the color of her hair to a coal black. Next she held it in front of her eyes whispering another spell to make them a bright green. She then pulled her hood over her features and nodded to Adofo that she was ready. He seemed satisfied with her precautions and led them to the gates of the city.
"Halt, identity and purpose for entering the city." Sneered a guard. She was a bit taken back by the horrible attitude towards any traveler.
Adofo pulled down his hood, stone lay upon his face as he looked at the guard. He moved his horse up to him whispering harshly. Katherine kept her gaze away from the guards and instead looked on at the towering wall.
"Seems a bit foreboding." Spoke Blaise to which words she could only nod.
"I am sorry sir." The guard suddenly stood straighter.
"You are forgiven. My friends and I will only be in the city for the night, we will leave tomorrow as soon as the light will allow us." Adofo explained.
"Sir, there is a mandatory sweep of the city tomorrow. No one and nothing is allowed in or out for the whole day." Katherine felt a bit worried at this, but kept her features calm as she listened to the conversation.
"Alastair I would guess." Adofo seemed to be rethinking his plans. "Fine we will leave the next day." The guard bowed slightly and yelled up to the others to open the gate. By magic the wall split in two and began to slide away.
Her eyes took in the normalcy of the street before them. Shops and their sellers greeted them with their wares. As they entered behind Adofo she noticed that the streets before her were a bit shabby.
As the walk of their horses took them higher up into the hills of the city she noticed a continued trend. The shabbiness of the roads, homes, and stores began to lesson until an almost elegance settle in on in the tops of the hills. Not wanting to ask questions until she reached their place of safety she kept her continuing questions to herself. Though the largest surprise was just how much she did not know about the very land she had sworn to protect.
Turning a corner they soon heard the sounds of horse's hoofs on a cobblestone walkway. This caused her to wander just exactly where their shelter for the night was. She hadn't wondered long for a large white building made of stones and pillars arose before her. It seemed to be a beacon in the terror ridden city. The building was a masterpiece of Greek architecture and she could not help but to be in awe of its construction.
Adofo lead them into a courtyard where they dismounted their horses which were to be unloaded of their belongings and taken to the stables by the stable hands. She caught Blaise's eyes which were widened in disbelief. But she trusted her companions and followed them into the large building.
Upon seeing the marble floors and the golden colored pillars she could not help but feel as though some god was giving them his home to stay in. Following the golden pillars up where they reached the ceiling her eyes began to scan the elaborate mural painted there. Gods and goddesses danced above her head as though watching over all who entered the building though in warning or protection she could not decipher.
"Welcome." She turned her eyes onto a small squat man with a British accent. He waddled over to them with a smile so fake it seemed to hurt the other features of his face. "What can I do for you?" Adofo handed him a parchment which he opened and read carefully still holding the smile onto his face. "Yes, yes I've been awaiting you commander." Katherine looked to Abbas at the name not having heard Adofo called such before. "You have three rooms requested. This way." They followed his waddle through halls of elegant prestige. Coming to a hall they stopped in front of three large wooden doors.
"Am I correct to infer the center one is for the lady?" He asked ushering to the door with the key.
"Yes." Answered Adofo causing Katherine to glare at him. She knew they had placed her in between them to protect her and was grateful for this but... "I know you don't like the idea, but we all felt better about it." She turned to see Blaise's pleading eyes on her.
She sighed and nodded. "Very well." And stepped forward to take the key from the squat man.
She unlocked the door and pushed it open. What sat before her caused her to tense. Just a bit smaller than her own chambers in the castle, a suit in golds and white was lain out before her. She walked into the room only to turn back to Adofo. "This is not very subtle, Adofo."
"It is as well as you're going to have for the duration of the trip. Forgive me for trying to give you a bit of comfort." She was angry.
"Sir, if you would leave the gentlemen their keys. I do think they will be able to find their rooms quite nicely." Her tone was tense, though she tried to remain an air of politeness. The man nodded handing the keys over to the men in the room.
"I must tell you that dinner will be served within the hour in the dining hall unless you wish to receive meals in your rooms."
"Thank you." He nodded his head and left them alone.
She turned around to face the room once more. "Princess-." But he was cut off by her almost too polite voice.
"Adofo, have I ever, in the almost year that you have known me, given the impression that I needed to be pampered?"
"Of course not, but I thought…"
"You thought that I needed a high class place to stay in while we were trying to hide my identity?" She asked still holding the polite voice.
"It was simply a thought of your well being, princess. I am sorry if I have offended you." She turned to see him bowing as though in apology.
"Stand up, Adofo. You are my friend, but don't treat me like a rose petal." He did as asked and nodded. "I am grateful." She said her voice softening. He nodded.
"I think it time we see our rooms." Stated Blaise who tried to see the others out.
"Yes." Agreed Abbas. She nodded her thanks and moved to look at her rooms once more shaking her head as she did so.
!O!O!O!O!O!O!O!
She did take the opportunity to bathe and take her glamour charms off. Her hair was still wet when she heard a knock at the door. "Who is it?" She asked cautiously.
"It's me." Came the voice of Blaise. She smirked and opened the door for him. "Awe it's good to see you took off the glamours. You looked much too much like Potter for my taste." She smiled at this as he brought his arms around her. He kissed her softly on the lips before they were interrupted.
"Princess?" She moved from Blaise's grasp to see Jabari at the door.
"Come in." She spoke with a curious voice. "You've been very quiet so far." She said skeptically.
He nodded. "I hadn't thought it my place to speak without being spoken to." After the door closed he bowed slightly.
"None of that." She shook her head and with a wave of her wand dried her hair. "We are companions on this trip. I want to hear all your thoughts and opinions." He only nodded. "Was there something you came to say to me?" She asked a smile on her features.
"Oh, simply that Adofo has ordered dinner for the rooms." She nodded unhappy that they were using Jabari as the messenger boy.
"Thank you. At the words dinner I am only now realizing just how hungry I am." He was about to bow again, but stopped himself and simply nodded before leaving the room again.
"Strange kid." Spoke Blaise as his arm rested itself around her.
"He was brought up to treat royalty with respect." She stated with her eyes still on the door as many thoughts and questions from her day swirled around in her mind. "They all were and I shouldn't fault them for that."
There was another knock on the door which Blaise answered. A waiter came in with a cart of food followed by another. "I was told your party was having dinner in this room." She only smiled and nodded as they brought in the buffet of food.
Adofo, Abbas, and Jabari soon followed. "Smell the food?" She asked as they entered. They all smiled showing that the anger minutes ago had dissipated from the room and they sat down to eat.
They spoke in a friendly manner while they ate their meals, but finally when they had had their fill did Katherine bring up what was on her mind. "What is the exact cause of the darkness in the city?" She asked leaning forward. "I know it is said that it is not known, but there must be some point of origin within the city where it occurs."
"I am uninformed on the subject and from my perspective believe it all to be myth and tall tales for parents to bring their children in before dark." Spoke Adofo now sipping his tea.
"Yes, there is always the finite possibility that it is nothing, but the way the people of the city act there must be a record or actual sighting." Spoke Abbas sounding far more interested than Adofo.
"How the people act?" Asked Blaise now sounding more amused than curious.
"Yes, it is said that many go around, when the sun leaves with its last rays, and cover up their windows. The poor with boards the rich with specially made planks." Abbas explained and Katherine began to gain the feeling of sitting around a camp fire telling ghost stories. Such things she did not believe until she laid her eyes on the sights themselves.
"Well, you do not see them doing so here, and therefore it must be all rumors." Spoke Adofo placing his tea down. "I believe we shall bid you both goodnight." He stood and began to bow, but stopped at the hard look that Katherine had given him.
"Goodnight." She spoke back as they left not one attempting to bow again.
She placed the plates and other china onto the cart before taking it outside her door and closing it once more. "Do you think it true?" She asked seeing Blaise had been watching her.
"Adofo doesn't seem to think so."
She nodded. "But Abbas does." She walked toward the uncovered balcony doors opening them and allowing her eyes to search its cover of night. "And it sounds as though many others do as well." Her voice had softened and she felt the hands of Blaise on her shoulders.
"I have to admit, while the air and darkness feels heavy, the stories sound nothing more than children's tales as Adofo had said. I do think you need rest as do I after the inexperienced ride we had today." But she merely moved farther out the doors and onto the balcony.
"Do you see that?" She asked searching the city below her carefully. It was at this height she realized the mass expanse of the city for from her view she could not see the other wall as it was hidden around the hill a bit further.
"Katherine, I don't think…"
She shook her head. "Humor me for one moment. Look down there and tell me you see the haze as I do?" He stepped beside her sliding one hand to her waist as he too peered out into the night.
"It's only fog." He countered, but she didn't believe it.
"Fog that dense and heavy? It's as though it hangs on tightly to the air itself." She turned to look at him and watched as his face grew serious and his hand dropped from her waist.
"The only time I have ever witnessed a fog like this, was when the dark lord controlled the Dementors and they began breeding." Her mind followed his train of thought. "But this can't be, the haze wasn't there in the daylight."
"No, but what if something or someone was controlling them here as well? By calling them into the city from wherever they are during the day might bring the haze with them." Her eyes once more scanned the night as though searching for that someone.
"Katherine, perhaps we are tired and the haze is only a fog." He stated in a skeptical voice.
"After all that has happened after all that you have witnessed you sound unconvinced now?" But she did not offer him a glance as her eyes moved towards where the eastern wall should lay. The very same wall they were suppose to leave by the day after tomorrow. "They haze seems to be denser in that direction."
"Katherine?"
She turned to him abruptly. "Fine then go on to bed and be well rested for the day, but you and I both know this is no fog." She turned back to look over the balcony. "Look how it scatters quickly throughout the city yet doesn't seem to rise onto the hills. It's as though it is too heavy to rise as fog would." She turned back to him.
"Katherine, you have much more on your mind than just this city. There is a far greater goal than this that we are trying to reach and you cannot accomplish it without sleep." He stated. Raisin an eyebrow she smirked. In a flash of light a phoenix sat before him, bowed its head and flew off into the night. "Damn it woman." He hissed leaning onto the railing of the balcony.
A/N: SOOOOOOOO SORRY!! I realize it has taken me much too long to update this story, but I got a bit sick of it for a while and needed a break from it. Also there was a bit of writers block. Not necessarily with the direction but rather how to get there.
Also I have a question for all you wonderful readers...after reading royalty and now the first three chapters what do you think about Blaise and Katherine? Liking them not liking them? I have to say i am struggling a bit with how to write their relationship and would appreciate any help.
Sorry for any spelling and grammer mistakes in this one it was a hard write...