The ride to the Capital City was an interesting one, to say the least. Lyra was naturally not used to the motions of riding, so she ended up with a sore butt already by the first night. Prince Henry tried to teach her all about "The motions" as he called it, how you are supposed to move in rhythm with the moving horse, but whenever he tried to show her or teach her, it just ended up awkwardly sexual, which threw her off her game. In the end, she was just wriggling up and down, and Prince Henry was laughing almost the entire time.
The first night they spent out on the road, camping under the stars. It was late spring, and the weather in the empire seemed to be quite warm, very rarely falling below zero even during the height of winter. She learned that the climate was slightly warmer than what she was used to from her Spirit Sanctuary, and she assumed the Revean Empire was located just south of the Equator, while her Spirit Sanctuary was smack on it, albeit at a higher altitude near the mountains. However, being just shy of the equator, she had expected to find jungles as they rode, but it was mostly just farmlands and fields, with a few patches of forest here and there.
Prince Henry explained that most of the ancient forests had been cut down some 300 years ago, as humanity expanded and needed more farmland and lands for their livestock to graze. The thick jungles had also been home to many insects and monsters which made life difficult for the settling humans, which was another reason they had been removed. There were still more forests down south in the Empire, further from the equator, where most of the wood that was used for building and heating was sourced from. The more north you went in the empire, closer to the equator, the more farmland you got. Until, of course, you reached the Oberon Wilds, whom none had ever managed to tame.
Lyra learned from the Prince that it was believed that Humanity had actually originated on another entirely different continent, lying to the east of Atlas, and had migrated to here 1000 years ago. Humanity had landed on the eastern shores of Atlas, and then spread further inland, eventually establishing their own kingdoms and solidifying their powers. However, this is just a theory still, as very little material from 1000 years has ever been discovered.
As night fell and they made their camp along the road, the four of them chatted amongst each other about this and that. Lyra learned more about her three companions as they sat by the fire and enjoyed some bread and cheese they had gotten from the Tavern Owner in Brightfield. For example, Lyra learned that Knight-Captain James had 2 children, and was actually a Baron. One son and one daughter, teenagers still, and they lived in the Capital with his wife of 20 years.
Lyra learned from Lady Helena that there were three "Schools" in the Revean empire. Or rather, institutes of learning. She herself had graduated from the School of Magic which was a massive campus in the Capital City. The finest place to study magic and making connections in all of the human Kingdoms. In the Capital City there was also the School of War, where aspiring knights and officers study war, military tactics, weapons and formations. Finally, there is a large coastal city further south in the Empire called Estrea, which is the second largest city in the Empire and its economical powerhouse, second only to the Capital of course. There, you can find the School of Sailing and Commerce, because they go hand in hand naturally.
Most children of nobility either have private tutors who come to their homes, or they pay a hefty tuition fee to attend one of these 3 institutions. Helena as stated previously graduated from the College of Magic. James attended the College of War. Prince Henry had private tutors in the Royal Palace, teaching him everything from Statecraft to Military Tactics to Economics. If you are a poor noble or a commoner however, your only shot at studying at these institutions would be via the sponsorship program. A dozen or so students per school each year will be permitted to study under a sponsorship. Wealthy nobles or the schools themselves could pay for the tuition of exceptionally talented or gifted students who could otherwise not afford the fee themselves.
Because of this, most citizens of the Empire were formally uneducated. However, most of the local churches and temples taught the children to read and very basic maths, because it was in their best interest that the citizens would be able to read their scripture and donate money, after all. Because of this, nearly everyone knew how to read, write and do simple addition and subtraction. Anything beyond that was considered rather rare. Of course, the wealthy merchants could afford to hire private tutors for their sons and daughters in spite of being commoners, so it is not like there were no commoners without a higher education. But they were very rare.
Lyra in turn didn't have all that much to share. She spoke about her life in her "home", she didn't mention that it was a Spirit Sanctuary because she was unsure if that might give things away or imply things she wasn't ready to share just yet. But she spoke about her life there, how she grew vegetables, berries, potatoes and fruits. How she caught fish from the river, made her own shelter, and just enjoyed her life in peace. She also spoke of the monsters in the Oberon Wilds, and how she had killed them. Though "Farmed" them might be a more accurate term, but she didn't expect these people to know gaming terminology after all.
Then they slept under the stars, under the cover of a nearby tree. It wasn't at all unusual for travelers to sleep along the road in the Empire. The big roads usually had towns spaced out a day's ride from the next, but this road was a less traversed one and did not have any such. There were only very small settlements along the road who couldn't offer any tavern services. But she slept fine, a bedroll on the grass, as the weather was fair and clear. The next morning, they got back into the saddle. Lyra had gotten a bit more used to the riding motion now, and a bit more used to sitting essentially in Henry's arms.
As they rode, they had a chance to talk just them. To Lyra, it seemed that Henry quite enjoyed talking to her. Perhaps because she did not treat him any differently. She was not his subject, nor did she really have any intentions to follow "Proper Decorum". Firstly and mostly because she had never been taught how one was supposed to greet and talk with nobility and royalty, and secondly because she wanted to treat people with respect based on if they deserved it or not. Henry seemed to find this particular take rather refreshing, and soon enough both he and Lyra had dropped any titles. It was just "Henry" and "Lyra", and he in particular seemed to like that a lot. There were only two people in his life who had called him purely by his first name, and that was his Father the Emperor, and his little sister with whom he shared both parents. His mother had died in childbirth, delivering his sister, when he was only two years old, but she had likely called him by just his name as well, but he could not remember. But now Lyra was added to that list.
He told her a bit about how it had been growing up in the Royal Palace. All the servants, the lack of privacy, the tedious schedule, and the coldness of the Empress. Growing up he really only had his little sister, because his father, kind and just as he was, was extremely busy managing the Empire and its many vassals. Sometimes he went months without seeing his father. The one running the palace was the Empress, and she made her distaste for him very clear. Growing up he did not understand why, but when he got older and learned more of how the world worked, he started to understand. She was the legal wife, the Empress. His mother had been a concubine, thus lower status. He was a son of the Emperor, which meant no matter what, he had a claim on the throne. His little sister was a girl, so she was no threat, and thus she had been spared the ire of the Empress.
He told Lyra that, funnily enough, had the Empress not been so horrible to him, he likely would have never even dreamed of claiming the throne for himself. If he and his older half-brother had been friends instead, growing up, would he not have supported his older brother? But there was nothing to be done about it now. If anything, he was thankful he had not been killed off early in his life. It was only the past few years that the Empress had really begun to act on her impulses, which also coincided with the decline in health of his father the Emperor. Now the Emperor could no longer control his wife, and so she was acting without fear of consequence.
Learning about all this, she could not help but reaching out, lifting a hand to pat him on the head while gazing up at him as they rode. The physical touch left the man with a blush, and he remarked that usually, touching royalty was a crime punishable by death, but he'd make her an exception moving forward.
Come nightfall, Lyra was less sore than she had been the day before. Again they shared a meal and stories by the fire, and Lyra found that she had actually begun to grow attached to these people. She had never ever had friends before, but she wondered if maybe, just maybe, this warm feeling in her chest was friendship? Sitting there, laughing, drinking tea, eating the bland food, it was very fun, and actually felt quite nice. Helena shared stories about the pranks she had done on her father in her childhood. James told well-embellished stories about how many mighty monsters he had slain and how many maidens he had saved from danger that no one believed but found entertaining none the less. Henry also spoke about his plans for the future, the revisions he had in mind for the Empire, the things he would do.
That night, Lyra fell asleep quicker than she used to. The next morning, this was the final stretch of the ride, and she noticed that everyone was more serious. Today they would reach the capital. They'd surprise the Empress. Lyra still wasn't entirely sure what their plan was, nor did she want to get too involved. But it was getting harder and harder to stay on the sidelines, the more she got to know these people. They had been nice and kind to her. She found herself wanting to help them, even though she probably shouldn't. What right did she have, to involve herself in the battle for the crown? She wasn't even a citizen of this empire, she wouldn't be the one suffering the consequences of her action, or inaction, for that matter. At the same time, had she not vowed to live this life according to her own wants and desires? If she wanted to help her friends, why couldn't she? Was it really such a bad thing, getting involved?
The following horseride, both she and Henry were far quieter than normal. Both had their minds elsewhere, thinking about different matters. Henry considered the Empress, what he'd have to do when he returned, and the implications. Could he really gather conclusive evidence? Even if he did, would it matter? If she had enough support, she could just make something up and have him arrested. What about his half-brother the first prince? Could he really fight his brother, too? And how would he keep his sister safe through all this?
Lyra on the other hand, was considering her own role in all of this. Whether to interfere or not. In the end, she decided she would make her decision once she had met the Empress and seen the Capital and Royal Palace for herself. Only then, would she decide whether to help Henry or not.
As they were both lost in thought, Helena soon came up beside them on her own horse, pointing ahead of them with her whole hand.
"Look, it's the Capital!"