They arrived at the city when the sun had already set, and Lilianna was wobbly in the saddle. She lazily pressed the back of her hand against her lips, stifling a yawn. The soft woollen hood of her mantle pleasantly concealed most of her features and for the better part of the past hour she had happily dozed off as the mare who carried her dutifully plodded on along the main road, following in the wake of her uncle Claas. The steed he rode was a proud one and the leader of the pack back at the horse farm, way up north in their home town Sinegi. Behind him trailed another three animals; horses for the royal army that would be delivered unusually early by grace of the vision Lilianna had witnessed, not so many days ago. When the vision found her, the sounds so intense and overwhelming that it had given her nightmares, Lilly had tried her best to conceal it had ever happened. It would have been but another strange event to make her stand out like so many things before had done, and she really could do with a bit of blending in. But when travellers brought word of the king's summon it wasn't long before her aunt and uncle, whom she had lived with for the past thirteen years, managed to draw the truth from her - she was an open book to most people, really - and now here she was, on Highmont's doorstep looking a lot less impressed than the city deserved. 

She startled into a state of abrupt awareness when Claas Beaufort brought the procession of horses to a sudden halt. They had reached the gatehouse without her even noticing, and whilst the city had steadily been drawing nearer the girl had been blissfully oblivious of getting so very close to her destination; she would have spent a lot more time being nervous if she'd known how close they were to the palace. The castle towered over the city with imposing grandeur, and [i]that[/i] was a sight she wasn't quite so accustomed to; Griffinmont, the city she had spent the early years of her childhood in, had been vast and  beautiful, but lacked the tall spires Highmont had to offer. Lilly found herself gazing up rather slack-jawed, and it wasn't until her uncle addressed her, probably for the third or fourth time, that she managed to tear her eyes away from the sight and focus on the grey-haired and likewise bearded man instead. 

“This is where we part ways, child,” he informed her after she'd dismounted and carefully guided her horse to the front of the line. The gatekeeper was leafing through the paperwork and not paying them much attention. “Are you sure you'll be all right on your own?” 

Lilly nodded enthusiastically, bravely countering that awkward feeling of a stone settling in her stomach. “It's not like I haven't been on my own before,” she replied. “Besides, I'll be in the king's castle, I don't think there's a safer place for me to be than there!” 

Claas cast her a warm smile, one mixed with feelings of a far more sentimental nature. He may not be her true father, but Lilly loved him like she did her own parents... and perhaps even more.  When he reached out and cupped his hand under her chin she had to keep from getting emotional. “Just mind yourself, pumpkin,” he said, “People here aren't as accepting as they are up north.” 

It was all she could do to wrap her arms about the – considerably larger – man and find herself disappearing in a bear hug instead. “Don't worry about me!” she chimed confidently. “I'll be back home with you and aunt Margaret before you know it!” With that, she handed the reins over to her uncle and quickly padded off, worried that if she stayed any longer she'd lose the courage to leave altogether. As cheerful as she had sounded, truth was that Lilly was feeling considerably anxious about this whole endeavour. It wasn't every day that you got summoned to the royal palace and although as a noble-born she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with life at court, it had been a long time since she'd attended any upper class event. She sure hoped she could fit in.

As she approached the castle, Lilly soon discovered that her concerns were perhaps unfounded. People of all walks of life were queued up in front of the gates, patiently or impatiently awaiting their turn to be examined by this stoic and enigmatic looking man who stood by the doorway. Lilly worried what he was doing; she also worried what he would think of her. Then she mostly worried about being warm; her clothes were more suited for the much colder climate of the north and had it not been past sunset, then she probably would have been sweating uncomfortably by now. She had little option other than to join the others in the weaving line and she timidly got in line behind a rather tall and somewhat exotic looking man. Before him stood a simple peasant-woman, probably twice Lilly's age. There were warriors and farmers, learned men and simpletons – all sorts had lined up in the hopes of making their way beyond the castle doors. Plenty of them were being sent away, but just as many seemed to be allowed inside, although Lilly did not know on what conditions they were permitted entrance. It made her rather fearful of this mysterious man positioned near the entryway and when eventually it was her turn to be inspected, she was just about ready to bolt off. He peered down at her with an intense gaze and she shrank back a bit, but didn't dare to seem impolite by averting her eyes. 

“I'm Lilly,” she squeaked uneasily. No answer. “Are you here to- to-”

[i]”Proceed to the dining hall,”[/i] the man spoke curtly, and Lilly, her cheeks flushed with misplaced embarrassment wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or upset that he had dismissed her so easily. [i]And without even introducing himself![/i]

Still a little overwhelmed, the girl daintily made her way to the room like so many before her. The dining hall had filled up significantly when she arrived; the buffet had been feasted upon and a lot of seats were already taken. Like outside, people of all classes and from all sorts of places were gathered, making it a rather unique and colourful ensemble. She eyed the abundance of food with wonder, approvingly admiring the many cakes and buns and slices of fresh bread that hid in the many baskets before grabbing a cinnamon roll and a drink she didn't recognize with a sweet and spicy fragrance. Carrying the two to the table, Lilly found a seat inbetween a fair-haired girl and a peasant boy, who both seemed to be particularly appreciative of the food they had chosen. Glad to be amongst friendlier folk, she cast them both a warm smile, letting her eyes wander the faces of her current company. “Hello!” she greeted merrily. Lilly took the mug of mead between her fingers, cradling the drink absently. Her curiosity soon got the better of her, anxiety had rapidly dwindled the moment the mage had allowed her into the castle, and she studied the people inside the hall uninhibitedly. “So many different people,” she observed out loud, “Aren't you curious  what the king wants us he-- [i]Oh, are those black trumpets?[/i]” 

Without thinking, the girl reached over and picked up one of the dark mushrooms from the bowl on the table and popped it in her mouth. “Hmmm—Mwai wove dese”, she commented with great approval. Sucking the garlicky oil from her fingertips, she offered her neighbours some of the cinnamon bread as well, happy to share, even if the food was free for the taking anyway. This didn't seem so bad, she decided. Perhaps being off on her own wasn't half as scary as she'd envisioned.