Outside the palace, at the front gate, Aria and Nyx stood watching from afar as Luna walked down the polished cobblestone path, red roses blooming on both sides.
"Oh? Ready?" Aria asked as Luna approached in her dusty lavender dress.
Luna glanced over at them, her eyes glimmering in awe.
Aria and Nyx looked stunning. Their garments were beautiful.
They stood draped in white and grey, every inch of their uniform steeped in command and ceremony. Golden pins gleamed across their chests, jeweled brooches shimmered at each collar, and a dark crystal scepter hung at their sides. Regal and dignified
Looking them up and down, Luna couldn't help but ask, "What are you wearing?"
"This?" Aria glanced down. With a smile and a blush, she patted Luna's head as she came up to them.
"This is the academy's uniform. Every student wears one. If you really like it, you'll be gifted one if you join the academy with us," Aria said, a warm gaze in her eyes.
Aria smacked Nyx on the back of the head. "Move, Nyx, we're going," she said, holding Luna's hand as they walked toward the white carriage adorned with intricate red rose patterns at the top.
"Ow! What's that for?" Nyx said, rubbing the spot she'd hit, pain pulsing through it.
"Because you're slow!" Aria called back, already far ahead with Luna.
"Pff!" Luna chuckled warmly, covering her mouth.
Seeing her laugh, Aria couldn't help but pat her head again, smiling.
Nyx jogged up to them, confused. What are you laughing for? he thought.
He opened the carriage for them. Aria stepped in first, extending her hand to Luna.
"Come in," Aria said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Thank you, Nyx," Luna said as she took Aria's hand and stepped inside. She hugged her, then sat on the right side of the black leather seat, lying on Aria's lap as Aria gently caressed her hair.
"Stay here. I'll go inform the guards and bring them as an escort," Nyx said.
"Mhm…" Aria responded. Her hand caressed Luna's hair as she shot him a quick glance, then looked away just as fast. She kept stroking, but her fingers pressed a little firmer now. Luna stayed curled in her lap.
…
The days passed on the road. The distance between the house of Lockhart and the academy was roughly fifteen days.
The routine was monotonous, they traveled throughout the day and only stopped to dine and sleep at night.
Only after six days did they have to halt their journey, the carriage having broken down. One of the wheels had split apart, forcing them to stay an extra day while the knights worked to repair it.
That sixth day, trapped in the forest, they sat around a fireplace, fireflies lingered around, flying over them.
The cracking of burning wood filled the air. Potent firelight lit the camp, casting dancing shadows as stories began to flow like warm cider, shared to pass the time.
A knight named Rivven, poking the fire with a stick, muttered, "I have a story…"
Everyone gathered near the flames, Nyx, Luna, and Aria, along with the guards clad in armor.
"The Elven-Fairy War…" he sighed, beginning in a low voice. "Ruthless as a war is, twenty years of struggle between them."
His gaze grew distant. "I fought in that war. Twenty years ago. Not for long, just as a mercenary."
"The sight of the bloodshed was… unpleasant." Rivven looked away from the fire, down at his hands.
"The number of elves and fairies that fell in that… unnecessary dispute over borders…"
Sighing, he turned his eyes toward Nyx.
"Young Nyx, know this: once you become the Duke, be careful how you deal with conflict in your territory.
You don't want to fight over petty things, as they did…"
His hands clenched into fists, then slowly fell to rest.
"The residents suffered such a loss… One third of the fairy population, and one fourth of the elven people, killed themselves back then."
Looking straight into Nyx's eyes, flustering him, Rivven said softly,
"I hope you never choose such an outcome. Never."
He stood and walked toward the guard on lookout duty, switching places with him.
In his place came Ryvel, Rivven's younger brother, cheerful and light on his feet, unbothered by anything.
He approached the circle with a grin. "What's the gloomy atmosphere here?" he asked the knights.
Luna covered her mouth, chuckling out loud. Aria glanced sideways at her.
I shouldn't laugh right now… But I can't help it.
His words… so unbothered…
Aria, perplexed, kept staring at Luna. How can you laugh?
Then she cast a glance toward Rivven, now on lookout for his younger brother. Rivven… Poor veteran.
A knight named Marvvin cleared his throat, cutting through the tension. With a clear, deep voice, he said,
"I have one as well… There is one. I was stationed in a border city, a nameless one. It stood between the Lockhart and Hillmere duchies."
He paused, recollecting his thoughts so as not to disappoint with his words.
"In that city… the Ashen Cult attacked, burning it to the ground."
Ashen Cult? Luna perked up at the name. The same one Dad mentioned?
"I was one of the few stationed on those borders who survived," Marvvin said.
He sighed, glancing at a knight beside him, Garry, who sat slouched, red-cheeked, drinking from a wooden cup.
Garry's gray hair fell in uneven strands. His cheeks were sunken, flushed. The alcohol had gotten to him.
"Sigh. Garry, let's go to sleep." Marvvin stood, trying to lift the knight with him.
"Noo! I swtill can dring, I hadent spoke yet out!"
"Tfe slums twat burned 20 years aho! The massakre! Iwe been twere!"
"Nooooo! Lew me go!"
Garry's voice echoed through the trees as Marvvin dragged him by the armor back behind the fixed carriage.
Luna watched them disappear into the shadows. Luna wrinkled her nose. Maybe… no. I'll never touch alcohol.
She turned to Nyx. "What's your story?"
"Want to know?" Nyx smiled. "I, of course, have one. I lost to Father once. It was so bad. I was confident I could beat him, but no… I lost badly."
"Well, since then I've kept training as much as I could. Heh."
Luna looked at him skeptically. That's all?
She turned to Aria. "And you, Sister?"
Aria smiled warmly at Luna. Then, standing, she took Luna's hand.
"That's enough. Luna has to sleep."
She led her gently toward the carriage to tuck her in.
"Nyx, we have to go to sleep," Aria called over her shoulder.
"But…"
"Okay…"
He followed, signaling the guards to rest before returning to their posts.
The trio disappeared into the carriage, falling into a deep sleep.
Left alone by the fire, Ryvel added another log, keeping the flame steady.
He began to hum, a melody taught to him by the elves, long ago, during the war.
…
In the far distance, a silhouette of the Empire Royal Academy of Luvr came into view.
Peeking out the carriage's window, Luna pointed excitedly. "There it is! Nyx, Aria! The academy is near!"
Even from afar, the academy's breathtaking architecture was visible to Luna's keen eyes.
Nyx peeked out as well, perplexed. "How can you see that far?"
Aria smiled, pulling on Nyx's garment, tugging him back in. "Don't peek out. You'll fall if you do."
"But how?" Nyx asked.
"Her eyes are perfect," she smiled, gazing out at the long, stretching meadows and the forest far beyond.
Their carriage rode along the Silver Spine, the greatest road in all of the Luvr Empire.
Luna leaned against the carriage wall, looking down, eyes wide. The road sparkled so brightly it sent flickers of light dancing into her eyes. Luna winced and shielded them with her arm.
"Aria! What is this road? It's so shiny!" Luna looked back over her shoulder.
"This road? It's called the Silver Spine," Aria said, pausing as she watched Luna's face glimmer with excitement.
She smiled, continuing, "It was created by Any Vaix Luverien, the fourth emperor of Luvr."
"He was called the Bloody Emperor, but shhh, don't tell anybody I told you this," Aria whispered, covering her mouth with a finger in a silencing motion.
"Bloody Emperor? Why?" Luna asked.
"Ah, it's because he was obsessed with conquest and construction. A ruthless man, but creative."
She turned her head from Luna to Nyx, who was dozing off, his head leaned against the wall.
"Most of today's empire territory is thanks to him. But that's not his greatest achievement. The greatest achievement is this road… the Silver Spine."
"You may ask why? It's because this road was built along the borders of monster territory. So even if you ride it without guards, you'll never be attacked by monsters."
She smiled, watching Luna, who listened carefully.
"But remember, never say Bloody Emperor in front of the Royal Family. It'll bring you trouble if you do."
"They hate that nickname," Aria gently lectured.
Luna nodded. "But why? The Bloody Emperor name is cool. I'd love to have that too!" she pondered aloud.
Aria chuckled at the answer before adding, "I don't know either." She patted Luna's head, then leaned in, kicking Nyx's leg hard to wake him.
"Aw! Why?!" he flinched, grabbing his knee as a sharp pain shot through his body.
"What did I do?" Nyx groaned.
Aria only smiled in response.
With Luna dozing off, her head leaning onto Aria's shoulder, the sight made Aria's heart happy.
The academy's gates stood open, awaiting their arrival.
And so the carriage rolled on, wheels whispering over the Silver Spine, as the towering gates of the Empire Royal Academy loomed ahead.
With a final creak, the stylish iron gates closed behind them, sealing the world of nobility and magic within.