"Song for Antarctica" by Yanni
"If this is truly not the doing of any one of you, then whose is it?"
Not hobbits nor martial artists nor Bast-made fuzzies nor scholar had any answer worth giving breath to Nivirea's question, and if the pegasi or pseudo-dragon knew, they were not telling. Yes, Sparkle was aloft, easily gliding along not far from Luna's head. She seemed to be taking the moment in both wings as it were. The rhythmic beating of the pegasi's feathered wings lulled the senses into a sense of daydreaming, for most people never saw a single pegasus in all their lives and now here all of you were experiencing nearly a dozen such fantastic creatures in flight.
As you descended through that heavenly white cloudbank, your eyes told you tales of forests and streams below you, vast and strong, swaying and flowing. But above all, there was the incredible rising peak that dwarfed all sights - a wide white city atop a tremendously grand mountain, perched like a gleaming crown atop some ancient god's brow. A river drifted lazily to its west and a great brown road in the forest climbed from south to north until the woods gave way to open plain. Not far from there was where the mountain grew and rose, majestic and beautiful.
Many winged draconic-looking creatures of blue, black, and red circled the city flying in trios. Atop these deadly-looking creatures were people of varying shapes and sizes, many human-sized to be sure, but some smaller, some larger. All flew with the aid of specially-made saddles and appeared armed with great bows of some kind. Yet at the blaring of spirited horns from one of the many towers, these creatures and riders pulled off from your approach and avoided the Adventurers' Wagon and its pegasi as you descended. All this provided you a much better look of the nation you were about to meet.
High the city rose like flowers atop the mountain. Great walls surrounded the city protectively shield-like in their vanguard.
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A church and fortress both overlooked rows and rows of large, well-kept houses.
(Image credit: Pinterest)
But the largest structure of all was nearly the highest atop the mountain - the palace itself!
(Image credit: wattpad.com)
(Image credit: Pinterest)
A church and fortress both overlooked rows and rows of large, well-kept houses.
(Image credit: Pinterest)
But the largest structure of all was nearly the highest atop the mountain - the palace itself!
(Image credit: wattpad.com)
The heads of hundreds, perhaps, thousands of people from all different walks of life turned from their business and looked up. They looked up at you! They saw your speedy approach through the sky and you saw them - stocky humans, full-bellied hobbits, stout dwarves, towering minotaurs, strong-looking centaurs, and other creatures pointed and called and gazed up at your entrance with wonder. Armored warriors bedecked in chain mail hauberks of white and green, gently-clothed commoners dressed in bright colors, gaily-clad artisans and dancers, and finely styled nobles all wore nearly the same expression of shock and awe as you flew downward past the many structures and into the city.
The pegasi swiftly flew you below the palace... below the church-fortress... and past the houses and markets to another spot in the city, this one green and rich with life with a towering structure that seems to be a forest in itself. Bren knew this place well.
It was here amongst a wide throng of green-clad people of many different races that the pegasi brought you. Some kind of solemn event seemed to be taking place and you were headed right towards it! The two dozen or so people gathered here turned and gaped at your oncoming arrival - and arrival it was for it was clear to all that your pegasi meant to land! An odd assortment of small animals were also in this strange crowd, but whether they had two legs or four, all of the gathered were sent scattering and shrieking and scooting from their grassy and wood-made seats as the pegasi carried the Adventurers' Wagon and all in it across that fertile grass and ground.
You landed here in a great rush as the pegasi both teamed and loose beat their massive wings furiously to bring their marvelous gait to a slow.
Glider shouted. "By all that's holy, hold on tight to something, everyone!" Bria held on tight to Otiorin, the Meadowsweets with their typical form held onto each other, and just about everyone grabbed onto something or someone. All except for graceful, smiling Sparkle who just flew along out of everyone's reach. She flew with draconic pride on the leathery wings she was born with. The same, of course, could not be said of everyone else!
KA-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!!
The wheels of the Adventurers' Wagon touched down as smoothly as wheels of that size could and still you all rolled in like some magnificent party-crashing parade through the event. Evergreen-clad people pointed and shouted and cried out in alarm as finally your travel across the skies came to a breathtaking halt atop the chairs and seating area just recently vacated. There, at the head of the chairs, on a heaped mound surrounded by carefully-laid books and charms and tokens of love was a long ornate wooden container of rectangular shape and just above human size.
Brendoran, of course, easily recognized where he was - six months of retiring from adventuring had not dulled his memory in the slightest. But never had he landed himself here in a fashion like this!
A middle-aged human man with closely-cropped black hair in equally-black robes of mourning was the first to get his wits back. He challenged all of you with a shaking fist and a feathered wand. His voice was thin and squeaky. "By King Thayne's beard! Just what on Sharseya do you think you're doing?! The audacity! To land right in the middle of an honored one's funeral like so! Could you not have found some other place in Highwind to land this... this... menagerie?!" His face was flushed red with rage.
"Just who are you people anyway?!"
None of you recognized him, save for Brendoran, partially hid by circumstance up atop the Adventurers' Wagon with both furry Felane in front of him. He recognized this man instantly. =)
Kaerri, see our Conversation if you please. =)
What do you do? =)
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