After four days of travelling, Autumn’s wagon finally reached the outer gates of Windshire Castle.

  It could be seen from miles away, its tall blue spires jutting into the clouds and the outer protective wall looming over the outer part of the city. Windshire city itself was huge, and was packed densely with taller houses and two-story shops. Higher class merchants and traders shouted from stall to stall, and Autumn watched as citizens wandered back and forth across the path behind the wagon. Everyone looked so different than in Summercross, with nicer clothing and done up hair and nice shoes. All the stores had tables of goods set out front, and many were decorated with flowers and packages of spices, making the whole street thick with unfamiliar scents. It only got more and more chaotic as they got closer and closer to the castle.

  The wagon dropped them off a few blocks from the gate that led inside the outer wall.

  Autumn stood there, in shock. The wall was huge and made of stone bricks, with blue and gold banners and flags at every lookout tower. Guards in full armor flocked the top of the wall and wandered the streets in front of the gate, talking to merchants and playing cards. Alondrans were everywhere, flying above the wall and playing ball in the sky, some having colored wings like Autumn had never seen before. Back in Summercross most Alondrans had big fluffy wings fit for the cold that were mostly white or gray. Autumn was lucky to have brown ones. Around her were black wings, white wings, blue and green and red like a parrot, freckled wings, there were even some who seemed to have pure golden feathers scattered among their normal ones.

  Then there was the castle. The most incredible building Autumn had ever seen; tall and pointed and elegant. Stained glass windows and balconies lined all the possible space, and the tops of every tower were painted bright blue. Raibyn had mentioned the annual painting of the spires- where they repainted the roofs blue as a celebration of another year of prosperity.

  Beyond the gates Autumn could see more and more streets, but this time more curved and unpredictable. People crowded the path, making it almost impossible to see through to the end of the road.

  Once they were right in front of the gates, Autumn turned to Raibyn.

  “Thanks for talking to me,” Autumn said with a smile. “I hope you achieve your dream.”

  Raibyn gave her a tight hug. “You gotta promise to come find me when you get that badge, okay? I have a feeling you have big stuff ahead of you.”

  Autumn nodded when they pulled away. Raibyn saluted, and Autumn followed, laughing softly.

  “You got this.” And then after a few moments, Raibyn took her luggage and walked away to her hotel outside the gates.

  Autumn sighed.

  “You got this,” She repeated to herself. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “This is for your family.”

  Then she opened her eyes and stepped forward to the gates, where she was immediately stopped by a castle guard.

  Shit. She thought. I’m already doing something wrong.

  The guard guided her back out the entrance with his arm and gave her a forced smile.

  “Malady, you must know that I have to see your ID before I can let you in. No one comes in with luggage without an ID.” He brushed a strand of brown hair out of his face and straightened back into position.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Autumn fumbled around her pockets for her ID. The guard on the other side of the gate scoffed.

  “Jacob, no one enforces those rules anyway. Stop giving people a hard time.”

  Autumn’s guard- Jacob- rolled his eyes. “Well I’m not letting anyone in with those raiders on the loose. Especially someone who looks…” He paused to wrinkle his nose at her, “Lower.”

  Autumn looked up from her ID in her hands to meet eyes with Jacob. She knew better to disrespect the people she would soon be working with, so she just slapped her card into his palm and let out a deep sigh. She hadn’t even reached the castle and she was already being treated like dirt.

  Jacob let out a sharp laugh. “Well would you look at that, Autumn Brisa,” He said her name as if it were a curse. “I was right. You are lowly.”

  Autumn inspected her ID in his hands, her outdated picture, the dirt smudges on the thick paper, the big bolded letters reading “THIRD CLASS.” The card was just a reminder of where she stood in this kingdom, that she was lower than everyone else.

  “Can I go now?” She spat.

  Jacob shook his head solemnly. “Afraid you’re not allowed in, Brisa. Too lowly for these walls.” He smirked and dug his foot into the cobblestone path. “Do you see this stone?” He teased. “It goes on the ground instead of the walls. We call it a ‘road.’”

  Autumn tried to take the ID from his hands, but he held it out of her reach.

  “What, were you raised in a barn?” He sneered. “You should’ve learned basic manners in school years ago.”

  Autumn glared at him.

  “Oh wait-” He continued.

  Autumn snatched her ID and pulled her luggage past him. She didn’t have time to be harassed, and she surely did not yet have enough trust from the royal family to get away with beating up one of the guards.

  “Be careful in there!” Jacob called after her. “No one likes a skint like you tracking dirt all over their pavement!”

  Autumn wandered the crowded path, guessing which road may lead her to the actual castle. The streets overwhelmed her, with so many people and so many voices- merchants shouting advertisements, tourists wandering aimlessly, restaurants cooking food right on the streets. It took all of Autumn’s strength to lug her trunk, and it took even more effort to do it through a bunch of people on an uneven road.

  It felt as if she were going nowhere, the castle still seemed just as far away. She slouched down at a bench and pulled her trunk between her legs, trying to catch her breath. She was already starting to regret her decision to come here.

  She hung her head in her hands and tried to calm herself down by picking out the voices around her. She closed her eyes and focused on every sound, trying to find the birds and the wind. Nothing but chatter and footsteps. She frowned and tried harder.

  “I know you know where she is,” Autumn heard a familiar voice say, though she hadn’t quite yet processed who it was. “I’ll give you as much money as you want, just tell me where she is-”

  His voice was cut short by another. “What, so you can bring her here and take her as a prisoner? Like I’d ever do that.”

  Autumn’s head snapped up and her eyes traced the figure of the man talking. He leaned against the table of his stall, scratching his greying beard. He held himself with caution and dignity, yet he seemed to be losing his mask to whoever he was talking to.

  In front of him, with his back turned to Autumn, was a man in a black coat, his black dreads pulled into a half up-half down bun. Autumn could see the golden band sparkle from around his neck.

  “What? Why would I do that?” He argued.

  The shopkeeper pinched the bridge of his nose. “Prince Rey, I will not tell you where she is.I don’t care how much you give me.”

  Rey scoffed and pushed away from his table. “You don’t understand what I’m trying to do. This could help you.”

  “I don’t need help,” The shopkeeper growled. “I’m done letting you royalty ruin my life.”

  Rey shook his head and turned around to storm off, but he instead met eyes with Autumn. He stopped so abruptly the person behind him ran into him, and his blue eyes flashed with fear. After a second, it was gone.

  He made his way over to her and helped her off the bench and kissed her hand. He forced a smile and grabbed her trunk.

  “I’m guessing you were just making your way to the castle?” He asked.

  Autumn nodded. “Who was-”

  He grabbed her wrist with such force she cut off mid sentence. Rey clenched his fist around her trunk handle and gritted his teeth.

  “Let’s get going, shall we?”