With the darkness of the night quickly fading, the dawn of a new dawn arose from the horizon. It is with a quick prayer, hands held closely to her heart, that Illistrianna welcomed the harbinger of a new day. She had been up early this morning, a habit she had to take considering the adventure she was about to undertake. Moon Elves are nocturnal, for they celebrate and pray to their moon goddess, Luna. It was unknown to her if her kin was made this way, or if their devotion to night deity forged them this way. She was, however, convinced that they needed to be this way, for it was their duty to fight the evil lurking in the dark.
The moon Priestess had made a rather small crude camp not too far from the city, but it was all she really needed to rest. She wasn’t an individual of fancy tastes, and she was nervous about thinking of sleeping in town, she who was very accustomed to the wilderness of the forest. Illistrianna figured it would be better to have a clear mind before embarking on this new journey, before finding her comrades-to-be. At least that’s what the King’s agents told her. She had no idea where to look for, but it was told that when the time would come, they would be guided to the start of their mission.
In the meantime, the elven maiden figured it would be nice to visit this city while she had the chance. In her past years of travelling, she had visited plenty of towns, but none could compare to the majestic sight standing not too far away from her camp. It had to be expected from the city where the king resides. She was quite curious as to how people live in such a town. Is it all cramped up in there? Is it just as lively as she was told? Are the people there being taken care of just as better as in villages? She had so much questions in her mind that she just realized now how she looked like some kind of country girl that knew very little of human civilization on a larger scale than villages.
Packing her small tent, bedroll and blankets into her travelling bag, Illistrianna made her way cheerfully towards the city. As she was approaching the city’s walls, she could hear to sound of the populace inhabiting this area. It lacked the peacefulness of her village at dawn. Were they preparing something special for today? Or was it always this lively in big cities even early in the morning? She couldn’t wait to find out.
With every step, the sister was approaching fast. From an outside point of view, one could mistake her for being in a hurry, but in fact, she was just anxious, and her walking pace was bordering a jog. She noticed faintly in the penumbra of the rising sun three individuals, standing on the outskirts of the capital. With a cheerful smile and bright enthusiasm, she waved a brief salute at the three men talking to each other.
As Illistrianna approached the gates of Naviance’s capital, she was greeted by two soldiers, gate guardians as they were.
“Halt! By the laws of the city, none may enter the capital until the sun has risen. Go back now, and return later.” The first guard said with high authority in his voice.
“But… it is morning already! Don’t you see the sun rising from the earth, far away?” Illistrianna answered, frustrated beyond belief to have her path cut off so abruptly.
“Sorry little miss. We’re just doing our job. We can’t let strangers go in right now. Come back when the sun has risen up completely. You can wait at the inn just right down that road, take a meal and talk with the other travelers in the meantime.” The second guard said, this one a bit more courteous and less aggressive in his tone compared to the other.
Sighing, Illistrianna resigned from going inside the capital right now. These two looked so stubborn in their duties that she doubt she could make them change their mind. Were cities’ guards all so stern and rigid like that?
There was a lone tree on the very edge of town, near the road. The Moon Elf figured she might wait there until she could go in. She tossed her bag against the tree and sat against it, legs curled to her chest. She was annoyed by this turn of events, but at the same time, she could understand the guards’ duties. They probably just can’t let anyone enter so easily like that. It is the city where the King lives after all.
Illistrianna sighed once again, softly, and reached out for her bag, blindly searching. Figuring that it was no good being is such a mental state, the priestess just decided to take it easy and watch the sunrise as she provided an apple from her bag.
She really wondered what it was like inside the city though, and what was waiting for her.