The next time I saw proper daylight and could finally breathe freely was when I was already deep inside Arpa, safely concealed within the merchant district in the spacious warehouse of one particular luxury goods shop. The journey from the gates to this location had taken an exhausting four hours of constant, uncomfortable travel. That alone went to show just how genuinely large and sprawling the city actually was—it wasn't just impressive walls, but vast territories contained within them. And my ride here, cramped and hidden in that chest, had been anything but comfortable or pleasant. It had been a wobbly, jarring journey that made me feel increasingly queasy and nauseated from time to time as the cart hit uneven cobblestones or took sharp turns. But for the sake of our carefully laid plan, for the success of our mission and the hope of avoiding bloodshed, I had held on grimly with the help of absolute resolution and sheer stubborn willpower.
When the old merchant finally opened the chest and released me from my confined prison, I was genuinely happy—almost euphoric—to be able to inhale fresh outside air again instead of the stale, fabric-scented atmosphere inside the chest. Light came streaming beautifully through the upper windows of the warehouse, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. I took several deep breaths, stretching my cramped muscles carefully.
"There we are, Your Majesty," the old merchant said with satisfaction, keeping his voice low despite our relative privacy. "We are now safely in the merchant district of Arpa, exactly as planned. As His Majesty Emperor Arvid specifically requested, we have prepared a detailed map of the city for you to use for navigation." He reached into his robes and produced a carefully rolled parchment paper, handing it to me with a respectful bow. "As well as this," he added, pulling out a large, nondescript shawl made of common fabric.
"Please cover yourself completely, Your Majesty," he advised with gentle insistence. "It's not every day that people see pale Northern skin here in Arpa. You would stand out immediately and attract unwanted attention and questions."
He was absolutely right, of course. I couldn't afford to have that kind of attention, not yet, not until I had accomplished what I came here to do.
So I accepted the shawl gratefully and wrapped it around myself thoroughly, covering not just my body but most of my face as well, leaving only my eyes visible. The fabric was rough but serviceable, the kind that countless common women wore in the streets every day. I would blend in perfectly. Then I bid the kind merchants a sincere farewell, thanking them quietly for the enormous risk they had taken to help us, and continued on with my solitary mission.
As I stepped out cautiously onto the busy streets of Arpa for the first time, I took a moment to observe and take in where I had just come from. The shop adjacent to the warehouse was clearly the biggest and most impressive establishment on the entire street as far as I could see in either direction. It rose up proudly to four full floors, each level decorated beautifully and elaborately with carved woodwork, painted signs, and display windows designed specifically to attract wealthy customers with discriminating tastes. The old merchant man wasn't just some small-time trader scraping by in the city, I realized. He was well-known and well-respected, probably one of the most successful merchants in all of Arpa. That reputation and status explained why he and his caravan had been allowed through the gates so quickly and with relatively minimal harassment despite the siege situation.
The streets themselves were absolutely crowded with people going about their daily business. There were small stalls and larger established shops on both sides of the wide streets, selling everything imaginable—fresh fruits and vegetables, spices, cloth, pottery, jewelry, luxury goods imported from distant lands. You could find virtually anything you wished here if you had the money to pay for it. It was an undeniable sign of a genuinely wealthy and prosperous city. The people here dressed well, much better than common folk in smaller towns. I watched them stopping near the various stalls to examine wares with critical eyes, haggling spiritedly over prices, making purchases, or just simply strolling around leisurely, enjoying the pleasant weather and the social atmosphere.
The enticing smell of freshly prepared street foods hit my nose powerfully, making my empty stomach rumble with audible complaint. The aromas were incredible—grilled meats, fried pastries, aromatic rice dishes. Not now, I told my protesting stomach firmly. I'll feed you properly later, I promise. Right now we have work to do.
Though the lively scenery around me was captivating and asked for my attention repeatedly—so different from anywhere I'd been before, so vibrant and full of life—I forced myself to focus and just continued walking purposefully toward the end of the merchants' district. But that journey took considerably longer than I had initially expected. The district was vast, stretching on and on, block after block of shops and stalls and commercial activity.
When I finally emerged from the merchants' district and entered a different area entirely, I quickly ducked into a narrow alleyway for privacy. I pulled out the map the old merchant had given me and tried to orient myself, to figure out exactly where I was in relation to my ultimate destination.
There was a street sign posted prominently at the corner, identifying the area. "Old Imperial Castle Road," it proclaimed in elegant script. According to my map, this was primarily a residential area, home to the houses of some extremely wealthy people—successful merchants, high-ranking bureaucrats, minor nobility. I could see that the buildings here were impressive three-story houses, each one featuring big interior courtyards and multiple auxiliary buildings contained within their own defensive walls. These were essentially small estates, not simple homes.
If I wanted to reach the imperial castle itself, I needed to continue walking straight ahead until I reached the very end of Old Imperial Castle Road, then turn left at the terminus where the Old Castle stood—a historic building now repurposed and converted into offices for government bureaucrats. After that turn, I would enter the restricted area where numerous bureaucratic buildings clustered together, along with the barracks housing portions of the Imperial Army. Beyond that administrative zone lay the royal residential area, an exclusive neighborhood where only people with Selon imperial family blood flowing through their veins were permitted to own property and reside. And in the very center of that exclusive area, surrounded and protected by especially high walls, stood the Imperial Castle of Arpa itself—my ultimate destination and the seat of power I needed to reach.
I took a deep breath, centered myself, and cast the invisibility spell on my body once more. The familiar tingle of magic washed over me as I disappeared from sight. Then I began walking with determined purpose toward my destination, moving as quickly as I could without drawing attention through the sound of running footsteps.
The roads in this residential area were clearly patrolled on a regular schedule, I noticed. And compared to the bustling, crowded merchants' district I had just left, these roads were remarkably empty and quiet. Since it was the middle of the day, the hottest part of the afternoon, very few people seemed to be using the roads at all. Most of those who were out and about were wealthy enough to travel in style—almost everyone used horse-drawn carriages of various sizes and levels of ornamentation. Only servants and those of lower status actually used the roads by foot, hurrying on their masters' errands.
When I finally reached the bureaucratic area after perhaps half an hour of steady walking, the scenery and atmosphere changed dramatically. The government workers here wore distinctively colored overcoats as their official uniforms, making it easy to identify which department they belonged to at a glance. Red overcoats signified one ministry, yellow another, blue a third, green a fourth—each color coding a different branch of the imperial administration. They walked through the streets in small groups of colleagues, and almost every single one of them carried some type of paperwork in their hands—documents, scrolls, folders of reports. They conversed amongst themselves as they walked, but I noticed something fascinating about their speech patterns. They spoke in what seemed to be a highly sophisticated, formal version of the Arthia language, noticeably different from the more casual dialect I had heard before from the soldiers in Arvid's army.
It took me several minutes of careful listening to realize what exactly was different. They were actually speaking in what amounted to "written Arthia" rather than the colloquial spoken version—using grammar structures and vocabulary choices that were more commonly seen in formal documents than in everyday conversation. They consistently replaced crude or common words with elegant metaphors or more refined terminology. The effect was fascinating to observe, like watching people who had internalized their education so thoroughly that they couldn't help but speak like walking textbooks.
Then I walked past the military barracks, where a very different scene unfolded. There was vigorous training ongoing in the large open grounds adjacent to the barracks buildings. Soldiers sparred intensely amongst themselves, practicing combat techniques and maintaining their skills. Most of them had stripped off their upper garments to deal with the heat, their torsos bare and gleaming with sweat from their exertions, muscles defined by constant physical training.
A small group of what appeared to be noble Arpa ladies had gathered at a respectful but observable distance, clearly enjoying the view. They stood together under decorative parasols, continuously fanning themselves with elaborate painted fans held in their delicate hands. They giggled amongst themselves frequently, exchanging whispered comments and appreciative glances, obviously quite pleased with the masculine display before them. I felt my lips curve into an involuntary smile despite the seriousness of my mission. It was such a perfectly ordinary moment—young women admiring handsome young men, the eternal dance of attraction playing out even in the shadow of political crisis.
It was just an ordinary day in Arpa for most of its residents, I realized with some amazement. It seemed that nobody here really cared much that their rightful emperor was currently outside the walls, unable to enter his own home and capital city. Or perhaps they simply didn't know the full truth of the situation. Either way, they all just went about their daily routines and personal concerns, living their lives as if nothing unusual was happening.
I continued walking, passing through checkpoint after checkpoint in my invisible state, until I finally entered the exclusive area where the imperial family members lived. When I got my first clear view of the neighborhood, my jaw literally dropped in astonishment at the sheer scale and luxury on display.
Each of the residences here was essentially a castle unto itself, not merely a house. They featured absolutely enormous courtyards that could have contained entire village squares, numerous auxiliary buildings for servants and guards and storage, and tall main buildings rising three or four stories, with armed guards prominently appointed at their main doors. The wealth and power concentrated in this single neighborhood was staggering.
But despite the impressive architecture, nobody was actually outside enjoying it. The streets were nearly deserted. Those few people who were visible outside were clearly servants running urgent errands for their noble masters, hurrying along with their heads down.
I pressed forward with growing determination until I finally stood directly in front of the imperial castle itself—the seat of power, the heart of Selon. The massive building was completely invisible from street level because the protective walls surrounding it were extraordinarily high, at least thirty feet tall. These walls had been erected specifically to guard the emperor and covered an absolutely enormous area, probably several acres. I could see guards posted at regular intervals along the top of the walls, vigilant and alert.
I took a deep, steadying breath. This was it. The moment of truth. Let's do this, I told myself.
I deliberately released my invisibility magic, allowing myself to become visible once more. Then I reached up and removed the scarf that had been covering my distinctively pale Northern skin, revealing my face and my foreign appearance completely.
It took the guards on the wall only a few seconds to notice the suddenly-appeared stranger standing boldly before their gates. I watched confusion spread across their faces as they tried to process what they were seeing—a pale-skinned Northern woman, alone and unescorted, somehow standing here in the most restricted area of the city. They genuinely didn't understand what was happening, couldn't comprehend how I had gotten here. And that confusion, that inability to categorize the threat I might represent, made me genuinely scary to them.
That's why they immediately aimed their guns directly at me—not swords or bows, but actual firearms. Yes, modern guns. Instead of relying on traditional weapons like ordinary city guards, these elite protectors of the emperor were equipped with the latest military technology.
I raised both of my hands slowly and carefully in a universal gesture of peaceful intent, showing I held no weapons.
"Please," I called up to them clearly, keeping my voice calm and respectful despite the weapons pointed at my heart, "take me to your Emperor Regent. I have urgent business with him that cannot wait."