Im not judging you.
Yes, you are. I can see it in your eyes. Tori narrowed her gaze as JP looked around the private Tres Arcos dock that was around a cove and led to beachside fortification.
I didnt say anything.
Youre thinking that Im rich. She watched JP raise his arms and seed to motion all around him.
Are you not? he asked. Who has a private dock?
Other marquis families. Its practical so military and political use does not disrupt rchant and common use, Tori said. She looked to one of the n watching their things being taken from Sur Bronce. The massive ship seed to fill the area, dwarfing other ships, including several anchored near-by that Tori recognized as OTuagh ships. Her cousins mustve already arrived. Axton, does von Schwert have a private dock at the port closest to their regional capital?
Yes, but its more heavily fortified than here, Axton replied. Tori waved her hand towards him, as if to tell JP she was right.
Are we going directly to Presidio from here? Ilyana asked as she stood with the others closer to the shore.
Since its already late afternoon, well stay in Tres Arcos for the night, but the large things we brought, such as the chests and the horses, will be transported imdiately. Thats why I told you to keep a bag with overnight necessities with you, Tori said, walking up to join them. Well leave tomorrow with a carriage caravan. Dont worry, all our things will be guarded on the way.
My lady! Welco back! Tori turned towards the shore and saw several Guevera knights standing to attention in their crisp, maroon and black uniforms. As soon as she made eye contact, they bowed their heads at once.
I take it we will also be guarded on our way to Presidio? Henrik asked in a quiet voice.
Of course. Tori bead. Do you think my parents would let travel through Sur unattended?
Henrik gave her a dull look. You have twelve imperial knights with you.
Uh...Imperial knights arent as skilled as march knights, Ewan whispered in an embarrassed voice.
Good afternoon! Tori stepped forward to greet the knight. Thank you for coming to et us.
The knight who seed to be heading the group gave her a gentle smile. He was a middle-aged man with graying hair and green eyes, and the first captain of the second division. Not at all, my lady. We welco you and your guests to Sur. The carriages are prepared to take you to the resort for the night. We leave after breakfast tomorrow morning.
Captain Montez, where are we stopping on the way? Tori asked as she was ushered in the direction of the awaiting carriages. They were simple-looking carriages with little decoration on them so as not to attract attention, but Tori noticed the little changes in suspension, climate control, and general comfort that had been made not only for those inside, but for the driver and footn.
It looked like her family had installed all the things shed suggested and sent over from the delta. The air conditioning would be a godsend since Sur was the hottest place in mainland Soleil.
Tomorrow night we will stop at Fort Campanilla, the next night at Fort Jacinto, and then we will arrive at Presidio by the third day. The cargo will travel continuously and will arrive at the Fortress before us. Rest assured that all the horses will be taken care of at the Fortress stables, Captain Montez told her. He seed to see Ewan pass and smiled. Ewan, my boy. Welco back.
Ewan stood to attention at once and saluted him. Captain Montez, sir! It is an honor to return.
Captain Montez chuckled. Then are you going to join us for morning training?
Ewan took a deep breath and scrunched his face. He hesitated for a bit and Tori chuckled. He was on vacation; she was sure he wasnt expecting to do training.
Itll be good for you to continue so training when you can, Axton said behind him as he slapped Ewans shoulder. Youre at the top of your class right now. You want to remain sharp.
Faced with that logic, Ewans expression grew determined and he nodded. Youre right, Master. Captain Montez, I will join the morning training.
Captain Montez and the other Guevera knights laughed, pleased with his decision. Good, good!
Yes, that is good, Piers voice ca from behind the group. Captain Montez, I would like all of my knights to join morning training with yours.
Silence perated through the group as Tori and her friends gave the innocent imperial knights looks of pity. Tori couldve sworn a few of them paled upon hearing that they would be faced with additional training, and by march knights, one of what was supposed to be a generic escort assignnt.
Your Highness, welco to Sur. Captain Montez was less enthusiastic when greeting Piers, who seed to have faded into the background upon the appearance of Tori, their young lady, and Ewan, their group protege. Still, the Guevera knights properly greeted him. Piers didnt seem at all bothered by it and answered with a small nod. Your knights are welco to train with us. I hope they are prepared.
Axton tossed his head back and laughed. His eyes were crescents as he looked at the imperial knights with a gleeful smile. Dont look so disappointed. This is a good opportunity to keep your skills at their peak.
It must be good training, Albert said. His Grace is enthusiastic, as well.
Oh, Im here as a guest, not a knight. Axton smiled, lopsided.
You are still my knight. Piers spoke up behind him and Axton froze. And the order was for all my knights to join morning training.
Axton whirled around with a betrayal on his face. But Im here in my capacity as Duke Alvere!
Are you still my knight?
Axton looked pained. Yes....
Piers nodded, satisfied. Then you will join the Guevera Knights morning training. He walked past Axton to the first carriage and held out his hand to help Tori inside.
Tori threw Axton an apologetic look as she carried Alexander into the carriage. He looked defeated as JP passed him and gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and climbed into the second carriage with his sister, Ilyana, Henrik, and Albert.
Henrik sat down and frowned. Wheres Ewan?
Lured away by the knights, Sonia said as she leaned out the window and squinted. I think they brought him a horse.
Tori chuckled from inside the first carriage. She looked out the window with Alexander and Ewan was indeed presented with a horse to ride. It will be good training for him. First tier knights should have excellent riding ability, Piers said across from her.
Hes been riding since he was a child, but isnt at JP and Sonias level. I suppose riding with the knights will be good. They wont push him too hard, Tori said. Shed watched with her brothers and father when Ewan had visited to train, and the training leaders were always very cautious with Ewan. He was still young, so they didnt make him do everything expected of a standard Guevera knight.
It was a slow, gradual process and everyone had been very encouraging of Ewan.
My brother and Fabian should arrive in Presidio the day after we arrive, Piers said. Since Sur Bronce was a march ship with trained march sailors, Piers didnt co with a heavy entourage of imperial knights.
Gideon was the one who had an entire train with him split up into three groups: a vanguard, him and Fabian with at least another two dozen knights, and then another group taking up the rear. Along with them were another dozen of Piers knights. The last remaining dozen were leaving with Master Ramos, who needed to wait for an important crystal shipnt and would leave two days after them.
The carriage moved as Axton climbed in. Piers frowned. Why are you coming inside?
Because Im going with you, Axton replied in a dull voice. He seed severely weakened by the planned training.
Why are you not riding a horse? Outside.
Axton looked exasperated. Piers, Blue River is going with the other horses to be taken to Presidio directly. What horse am I going to ride?
Ask Captain Montez.
Piers, let him ride here. Tori gave Piers a firm look. Axton, get in. Did you already call your brother to let him know you arrived?
Hes still working right now. Ill call him when we get to the resort, Axton said as he took a seat next to Tori. He looked across at Piers as the door closed. He narrowed his eyes. Ill sit here because soone doesnt seem to want my company.
It is good for you to train with the Guevera knights.
You know what Im talking about. Axton narrowed his eyes. You just want to sit here alone with Tori and complain.
Piers motioned towards the windowsill. Alexander is here. He is a good listener.
Nyaow! Alexander hopped from one bench to the other and sat next to Piers, as if to take a side.
Piers lifted his hand and touched Alexanders head gently. Axton balked and Tori sighed.
That reminds , I need to call Guthry when were at the resort to check on him and make sure hes following his exercise regin and diet, Tori said, lifting her hand to touch her comcry in her pocket.
Is he doing any better? Axton asked. Youve been visiting him often.
Its important for him to have soone to support him, especially in the beginning, Tori said. These last few weeks, Ive seen him more than Ive seen you two.
Piers froze in his seat and his lips tightened into a small frown. Must you continue visiting him every other day?
Ill check on his progress and go from there, but I think hell be fine soon. I know, Piers. I havent called you every night. Ive been tired.
I understand. He said it, but he lowered his eyes and Tori felt a bit guilty for neglecting him. You need to rest more.
Piers gave Tori a nod and continued to pet the cat. Along with Toris overnight belongings were Alexanders things, including his favorite cushion from Piers flat to try to lessen any discomfort that ca with travel. Tori made a ntal note to make more ti for chats with Piers.
On the ship, shed been with her friends most of the ti and when she wasnt, she was taking ti to recharge alone. Her usual evening calls with Piers had been severely lessened and she was sure he had things to say from the last few days.
The resort they arrived at was the sa one Tori had stayed in with her cousin, brother, and parents in the past and their rooms were around the sa one that Tori had previously. Her balcony once more looked out towards the patio area below and the beach. There werent too many guests, but while Tori was feeding Alexander on the balcony, she caught sight of Ewan and Albert below running towards the water as if fleeing for their lives, tossing off their extra clothes without a care.
Henrik shouted after them that dinner would be soon, but it didnt seem to stop the two from flopping into the water.
Alexander, Im going to go downstairs. You stay in the room. If youre not here when I get back, were going to end up leaving without you. Tori ruffled her cats back and waited for him to reply in between bites of food before leaving her room.
She t Ilyana in the hall. They already went downstairs. Henrik tried to stop them.
Its fine. We can eat on the terrace, Tori said. The last ti I was here, Sebby, Andy, and Kasey tried to drown each other. Andy is supposed to make it just before the day of the wedding as hes on tour.
Can he take leave to co?
There are exceptions, but they have to be within the vicinity to get off the ship and on to Soleil land, Tori replied as they walked down the stairs. His sisters, except for Cousin Bridget, should be here. I saw their ships.
They ca on multiple ships?
Of course, they ca on multiple ships, they each have a ship. They reached the ground floor and Tori led Ilyana to the terrace. There was a long table close to the beach, under the shade of a wooden structure, and Sonia, JP, Piers, and a tired Henrik were already seated.
Did Duke Axton also go into the water? Ilyana asked. They heard yelling from the water, and they turned just in ti to see a group of knights also going into the water. Ilyana tilted her head. I didnt know they liked the water so much.
Tori squinted. No...no, I see Captain Montez...I think theyre training.
They must swim to a buoy and back five tis, then tread water for ten minutes, Piers said in a calm voice. He lifted his hand and a server seed to co out of nowhere to pour chilled wine for Tori and Ilyana.
Ten minutes? Tori cringed. After they swim to the buoy and back five tis?
It is training for a reason.
My lady, when we do training with the OTuagh knights, we are required to hold a sack of sand as big as our heads while treading water, Sir Atienza said. At least two knights were guarding Piers and while it may have seed lucky to be on guard duty instead of training, Tori knew that theyd have even more difficult exercises later.
I cant make it as a knight, Sonia said with a shake of her head.
Look at Ewan, hes going towards the buoy. JP looked out at the water. He always did have a lot of energy.
Well, hell sleep well tonight. Henrik sounded like a parent who was watching their toddler race around a playground.
Tori took a seat beside Piers and stretched. Hell be hungry when he gets back. Lets order dinner!
She hurriedly looked over the nu with the others, ordering what Piers would like as he sat beside her, sipping his wine in silence. Albert trudged back after a while, a bit out of breath.
Did you swim to the buoy, too? JP asked.
I made it once and now Im tired, Albert said as he took a towel that had been placed in a pile by the entrance. Im hungry. Did you already order?
Yes, have a seat, Tori told him. Eat up, because well be staying at fortresses the next two nights and will be eating what als are available there.
Fortresses...does that an the knight training will beco more difficult? Henrik asked.
Tori nodded her head once. Dont worry. Ewan is just a knight in training. They wont overwork him.
The sa could not be said of Axton. After the first fort, For Campanilla, Axton complained about the training all through the ride to Fort Jacinto. Tori was so tired of hearing him complain and demand Piers let him rest, that she rode with her friends in the other carriage the next day.
While a bit more cramped, it was much more of a relaxed ride and her friends looked out the window to admire the scenery, as well as ask Tori questions about Sur. Tori had read up about Sur as much as she could and wasnt hesitant to ask Kasen questions about it when she woke up, under the guise of having amnesia.
In her original world, she was very interested in the histories, landscapes, and cultures of various regions, so she enjoyed learning about her ho territory. She found that she still referred to it as ho despite being the Countess of Cosora. Well, you can take the Guevera out of the march, but you cant take the march out of the Guevera....
Does Sur have a lot of fortresses? Albert asked as he looked out the window. Theyd stayed in two fortresses and both Fort Campanilla and Fort Jacinto were in a similar style that made it easy to find their way around. They were also still working military bases, so they were restricted to a particular guest area and residential area for the Guevera family.
There used to be more, but not all of them were needed after the conquest. Now, only the largest forts remain, and theyre all connected by a web of roads. Usually, there is one large fortress with a surrounding town every days travel. There are villages in between. It is customary for my family to stay in fortresses when we travel through Sur, Tori replied. These two forts are on elevated areas, but the Fortress, my familys ancestral estate, is on top of a hill and was expanded over the years to beco a ho, so its a bit more elaborate than these ones. Still, its easy to find your way around.
Henrik looked out the window closest to him. The countryside here isnt as green.
The climate inland is drier than in the Central Corridor, but our coasts are green. Our northern border is a mountain range, so from the early fall to the early winter, there can be snow in the mountains and still be subtropical in places like Tres Arcos. There are volcanos, forests, and so desert. It makes it a good place to train knights.
I have to say, Im impressed that Ewan agreed to join the knights for training when hes on a trip, Sonia said. If it were , Id decline.
Youre lazier than Ewan. Sonia kicked JPs leg as he spoke up. He grinned and the small caravan continued down the stone brick road going through so rolling hills. As they reached the peak of the pass, Tori looked out the window.
Presidio is just below us. From this entrance, the rolling hills opened into plains. In the distance, there was a thin, crooked blue line that was the river. Presidio spread from the rolling hills and past the river, fading off into farmland. Tori turned her attention to the other window. If you look at the hills across from us, youll see the Fortress at the top.
Her friends craned their necks and she heard soone take a sharp breath. When you called it the Fortress, you werent kidding. The thick, stout fortification and its surrounding complex seed to put a shadow over the tiers of plazas and buildings below it. A large, white building was nestled near the foot of the hill.
The basilica is the big building at the bottom. The Plaza Mayor is about halfway up the hill between the basilica and the Fortress, but its not the citys central plaza. Thats about halfway between the basilica and the river; called Plaza Central. Its massive, but Plaza Mayor is much more extravagant. The main road connects the two and at Sebbys wedding, we will take that road from the basilica to Plaza Mayor, where the afternoon festivities will be. Thats where Ill perform the blessing dance. When the sun sets, the family and close guests will move back to the Fortress to continue the celebration. Well watch the fireworks from the top of the southern battlents. Ive already given instructions.
Her friends let out whispers of awe as they glued themselves to the window to watch the city as they entered from the southwest and through a set of huge stone gates. On one side of the new city wall was the seal of Presidio and on the other, the insignia of the Sur March.
What does the engraving at the top of the gate say? Is it Old Sulfae? Albert asked as he tried to tilt his head to get a better look.
Yes, its sothing akin to we guard from the sea to the land to the sky. At the Fortress, youre going to see a lot of Old Sulfae with the family motto. Tori grinned.
Thats We Do Not Yield, right? Albert asked. Tori nodded.
Von Schwert is Know No Fear and March On, OTuagh is Observe. Advance. Conquer, and Nordursin is Endurance and Preparation Turns the Tide.
You look excited, Ilyana said with a cheeky smile.
Of course. I havent been ho in a while, Tori replied. Although shed spent more ti in Horizon, and even Viclya, than she had in Presidio since she woke up on Soleil, Presidio was where her Soleil family was. She had an inexplicable connection to the sprawling southern city and its massive fortress on a hill overlooking it.
When she was on breaks and stepped into Victorias childhood room, there was a sense of belonging and comfort. The old halls were now familiar and most importantly, her family was there. Tori was also excited to show her friends around after the wedding and she had so free ti.
Whats the plan when we arrive? Henrik asked.
Once we get settled, there should be a welco dinner. Youve already t most of my family, but Mamas side will also be there. And Gramps and Grammie. I saw their ships in Tres Arcos, so youll also et Cousin Siobhan and Duncan. Tori counted her relatives off her fingers.
Which side are they on? Sonia asked.
Wait a mont...well et another marquis here wont we? Albert said as he sat up straight. Several eyes gave him looks of disbelief.
Dont tell youre only realizing that now, JP said with a tired sigh. Albert, this is Lord Sebastians wedding. Hes the heir to the Guevera March. Its an important event.
Of course, there are going to be high ranked nobility here, Sonia added.
Why do you look so nervous? Henrik raised a brow. You always get like this when youre faced with new nobles, but youre Horizon aristocracy and play dungeon crawl with Duke Alvere and the heir to the Fekete Duchy.
Not to ntion Tori is here. Ilyana motioned to Tori beside her. She is a countess....
Albert waved his hand in front of him and shook his head. As I said, thats different. I see them all the ti. Im used to them. So nobles and aristocracy from Horizon can go their whole lives without eting one marquis.
Tori squinted. But youve t my father already.
The other marquises! Albert exclaid.
Marquis OTuagh is our cousin. Her grandfather or great-grandfather, I forget which, and my grandmother were siblings. Marquis Nordursin is Idunns aunt, the older sister of her father. The Marquis General isnt coming. Piers and his brother are representing both the imperial family and the von Schwerts, Tori reminded them.
Sohow, Prince Gideon representing the Marquis General is much less impressive than it is.... Ilyana muttered.
All that aside, what happens after dinner? Henrik asked as he sat forward.
Tomorrow is a day of rest, then the day after is Robi and Fifis trifecta reblessing. Then another day of rest, then the wedding party and so guests go off for the three-day war gas, Tori said. They do allow spectators, but I was told that unless youre actually in the ga, its rather boring. Ewan is going, but I recomnd that everyone else stay and take tours around Presidio.
And youll be practicing the whole ti? JP asked. Tori nodded and sighed, already tired of thinking about it.
It cant be helped. I dont want to make a mistake at my brothers wedding. Designated knights will take you and the children around Presidio. Theyre not allowed to go with the party attending the war gas, so they have to stay here. Tori thought for a mont. There are a few gardens, temples, and the basilica where Sebby is getting married is gorgeous. I suggest going to see it. There are amazing craftsn in the artisan quarter. Ah, if you all want to ride horses or take Ciel Noir and Nuage out, tell the knight with you. There are excellent trails around the Fortress, and they will help you prepare.
We should do so things after the wedding, when youre available to co with us, Ilyana said with a small pout.
Well do a food crawl after the wedding, Tori said with an excited sparkle in her eye. I had Sir Pinzon gather recomndations from the knights and then we narrowed down the list by food type, from at to vegetables, baked goods, desserts, and drinks. We can go out every day until we leave just doing food crawls.
Albert sniffled with joy on his face. I cant wait.
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