After another ten days of sailing, Luna and Theia, alongside the hundred knights, arrived at the port city of Lorenthel, which was not far from the capital—only three days by carriage.
First, the commander disembarked and ordered a carriage to the capital from a nearby stall. An hour passed before it arrived. In the meantime, the other knights unloaded the ship onto the solid ground nearby. Luna and Theia sat on the mast, observing them at work.
Time passed in this manner until the moment to set off came. After loading the carriage with the essentials, the remaining items were sold to nearby merchants for the wealthy price of forty-eight gold.
The carriage was pulled by a horse-like being with a cone on its skull, called a unicorn—a staple work animal for elves, much like horses are for humans.
Three days of nonstop riding began. It was a pleasure for the knights to guard a person of ducal origins. No one had any complaints, for this was their duty to fulfill.
They traveled under the humid atmosphere of an unbroken forest. Luna had been told by the commander that ninety percent of Lorenthel's territory was covered in forest. Such was their pride—their connection to nature, the coexistence of both.
The mist was thick in the morning and night. The nights themselves were cold, but the days were surprisingly warm, given the striking difference between the two. Rain was present each day, right after the sun reached its peak; the clouds opened their containers and spilled for roughly an hour, every day.
Lively as the forest was, Luna and Theia grew bored and tired, having spent those three days barely asleep as the roads were bumpy and full of holes.
After three days of journey, everyone was glad to see, from underneath the leaves of the trees, enormously tall trees on the horizon. In the words of the commander, "If we see trees that stand tall even among other trees, we have arrived near the capital. Those trees are the walls of the capital—ancient and mighty walls protecting its citizens."
Luna couldn't help but open her mouth in amazement. Those ancient trees, towering under the sky, held a great ecosystem within. A great number of birds of varying size inhabited their crowns, flying in and out .
Luna was glad that after nearly a month of traveling, she would finally meet the person she would call 'master' for the rest of her short life.
***
Approaching the capital named Lorenthel, within the queendom also named Lorenthel, Luna found the repetition oddly funny and let out a soft chuckle.
The gates ahead were woven from trees that seemed to have been grown for that very purpose. Seeing the wooden walls, Luna leaned toward the left window of the carriage, where the commander sat astride his horse, and asked, "Wouldn't those walls burn? Why would they make the castle walls out of wood?"
The commander looked at Luna's confused face, exhaled, and smiled. "Good question. Remember to ask questions of your master—the more you ask, the more you will learn. Those trees are special. They are nonflammable. It's a secret of the royalty, so they keep the method to themselves."
"I see…" Luna replied, settling back onto the white cushioned sofa.
Knights in gleaming armor approached the elven guards, who wore armor woven from vines. To Luna, it looked rather dumb—how could vines protect anyone from arrows, swords, or magic?
After a brief exchange, the knights showed the insignia of the imperial ducal family of Lockheart. Every kingdom and queendom across the continent recognized that emblem. The Lockheart reputation was beyond scale, renowned for the best knights, the finest army, and exceptional living conditions. Their fame was such that words could not fully capture the heights of the Duckdom—unless one saw it firsthand.
The guards jolted at the sight of the insignia and ordered the gates opened immediately.
The tall gates, as high as four carriages stacked, swung inward. Luna and her escort proceeded along the main road, passing through the crowds of Lorenthel.
The streets were filled with elfs, mostly young, with only a few elders among them. They resembled humans but were especially tall and slender, big sharp eyes, with pointed ears and a graceful, fair beauty. Beautiful was an understatement; they were ethereal. Neither child nor elder lacked this quality. Their arms and necks were long, giving them an uncanny appearance compared to humans.
Among them was a minority who were even more slender, taller, and more strikingly beautiful. Their ears were sharper and longer, nearly the length of their heads, and their necks were so long it unsettled Luna.
The elves made way for the carriage, watching the knights and the vehicle with feline curiosity.
Luna opened the left window again and asked the commander, "Why are there other elves besides the majority? They look scary."
"Other? My lady, you mean the high elfs? They're another variation—much older and rarer. They're called Hielfs."
"They look scary… I don't know why, but they give me this feeling," Luna said, glancing from the commander toward the Hielves.
"My lady, you have lived only among humans. It's natural to feel uneasy meeting other species, as you aren't used to their appearance. In this world, there are far stranger-looking beings than Hielves."
"Okay… Thank you," Luna murmured. She withdrew into the carriage and gripped Theia's hand, making her blush and hide her face in her knees.
The commander laughed. "It's no trouble, my lady. It's good to ask questions. That is how wisdom grows!"
He closed the window and rode onward, a cheerful feeling in the air.
***
The carriage rode down the main road, knights guarding it on all sides. Luna looked in awe at the buildings; they were beautiful, lined across the street—structures filled with arches that looked as if they were woven alongside the growing trees.
The trees were brown in color. Luna loved how they appeared, old and wise.
The buildings had many windows with tree roots as the frame. No—the whole house was like a frame made out of roots. Every tree was like that, all seemingly connected, giving access to everyone from each house around.
She looked up as a droplet of water fell past her. In truth, many droplets fell, from far above. Perhaps it was because of the humidity of the place, Luna pondered.
As she looked about, there were tree houses even high into the sky, similar looking to the ones on the ground but supported by arched supports grown out of wood. The buildings were interconnected with wooden bridges, with vines as ropes.
To Luna, this place seemed truly ethereal, as beautiful as the elves themselves.
The capital was chirping with sounds of many birds and beasts, living alongside the citizens.
And the smell was pleasant, such as an old forest one Luna walked in back when she visited the academy.
As people on the ground lived, there were many in the sky, people walking along the bridges with baskets of clothes; people leaning on the balconies of their houses; as well as people sat on the outside terraces—places where people met that hung on the vines mid-air from trees, masterfully decorated with rose-like decoration.
No—as Luna looked more around, at the details, she couldn't help but notice roses growing, growing onto the trees, on the buildings and the bridges as well. The petals fell alongside the droplets.
"This place is beautiful," Luna muttered as she swallowed and sat back into the carriage.
And so the carriage rode off toward Mytri Vol Makkalen house, Luna's first and last master.
***
On the outskirts of the capital, near the castle walls, the Commander knocked three times on the door. A loud thud was heard from inside, followed by a voice: "Alright, alright, I'm coming! No need to be this hasty!"
After a moment, the door opened—and the sight before them was something to behold.
He was a tall and sturdy man in plain, dark clothes. His disheveled hair was tied into a bun at the back, and an untrimmed, bushy beard spanned across his face. His sharp white eyes and black hair were a sight to be seen; although he looked a little dirty, he carried that feeling around him—the feeling of a master.
He was twice as tall as Luna, like a giant compared to her.
Leaning against the doorframe, he asked, "What can I do for you?"