The journey to Arba was pleasant and full of anticipation for everyone, but most of all for Daniel, who was obviously doing this for the first time. The open royal carriage rode smoothly, whether it was the stone streets of Endër as they were leaving it, or the well-laid main road that led to Arba. Four beautiful white stallions, wearing festive decorations with the emblem of the kingdom of Endër on each side, drew the five people carrier with ease and a steady step. The queen’s personal coachman was sitting on the front guiding them, while joining the queen and the two boys was the beautiful Íro, who never seemed to leave his mother’s side.
She and Nemo had gotten rather close during the past few days together, and Daniel could see the infatuation growing in his best friend. He thought about Sam and their own situation, and for some reason he felt kind of guilty. He no longer doubted that Sam had feelings for him, but after that day at the waterfall, they had never tried to kiss again, or even talk about it. He liked Sam, he thought he would never meet another girl as brave and smart as her, beautiful too. She was a great friend and was risking and sacrificing a lot to help him stay safe. And knowing how she felt about him, he really wanted to return the feeling. But somehow he always held back and he just didn’t know why.
He tried to shift his thoughts into something other than Sam. It was still early morning and they were making good time; the ceremony did not start until midday. He recalled what he’d read in the Chronicles about the City of the Lords. The four of them had built it from scratch. It was not really a city, even though it had been called that since always, it was more like a huge marvelous garden located by the seaside. There on the beach, the great royal palace was built, with four separate towers that served as residence for the Lords. In between the second and third towers lay a great courtyard of stone, in the center of which was what they called the Eternal Clock. The clock, as Daniel would later see, consisted of one single hand rotating through four quarters of a circle, with the Lords’ symbols respectively carved in gold on each of them. At the moment the hand was pointing at the golden leaf. The clock was placed on the courtyard by the Great Lord himself at the beginning, to let them know when the time was for the Silver Scepter to be passed over to the next Lord. But that was not the only gift he had given to the city.
He’d also read that in the beginning, a bright star would always shine high above the palace, almost as bright as the moon itself. In time though, as the memory of the Great Lord began to fade, so did the light of that star, and it now looked just like an ordinary one. The Great Lord was not seen or heard from for a very long time, and people had begun to believe that he was nothing more than an old legend. Daniel understood the implications of that all too well; without someone to answer to, Winter or anyone else with sinister intentions would fear no one and do anything.
But the Great Lord wasn’t the only one who had bestowed his gifts upon the city. The four Lords had themselves added to its magic. To begin with, Spring had created all the florae in and around the city. She had planted the surrounding sequoia trees, thus creating its glorious borders and separating the city from the rest of Endërland. She had also created an endless variety of flowers and plants all over the place, giving them life eternal and the ability to survive and stay fresh in every season. Daniel would never see anything more beautiful in his entire life.
Working closely with Spring, Summer had created beautiful water fountains everywhere in the city and had blessed their water with the power to heal any physical wound or hurt. They were a real sight to behold and their water was accessible to anyone.
Autumn had given the earth the ability to turn every fallen leaf from all trees inside the city into gold. People came from everywhere in the kingdom to visit the city and they collected the golden leaves to make ornaments and decorations for their homes, or gift them to others. Daniel couldn’t even imagine what people in his world would do to get their hands on a city like this.
Winter’s gift to the city were four giant ice statues of the Lords themselves that would never melt, all placed around the royal courtyard. They were a marvelous piece of work and one of the main attractions in the city, depicting the Lords in all their greatness and majesty. Daniel couldn’t wait to see everything for himself. The closer they got to the city, the more excited he began to feel.
The main road they were on led them straight to the Southern Gate, through which the people of Endër, the villages around the forest of Mirë and those coming from Sky-City could enter Arba. The Northern Gate allowed access into the city to all inhabitants of the northern part of the kingdom, which included all the villages and small towns throughout the Valley of Destiny, the city of Tálas by the Northern Sea and everyone that lived at the base of the Northern Mountains. This included a second clan of wingmen, who lived separately from their Sky-City kin.
Once again, Daniel was surprised to see that there were no gates or guards at the entrance of the city. Instead, the long wall of the giant Sequoia trees surrounding it opened up where the two roads entered from the North and South, thus creating the only two ways in or out of the city. Daniel looked up at the sky-high trees, while the carriage passed in between them, and suddenly felt miniscule. He had expected them to be tall, just didn’t know how tall.
Diane smiled as she watched him marvel at the beauty before him. This was it; they were now inside the famous City of the Lords.
As the open royal carriage rode past the giant gate and into the city, Daniel was met with an unprecedented symphony of sharp and bright colors, the likes of which he never even thought existed. Spring’s gift had seemed to him like something not so grand compared to the rest of the Lords when he’d first read about it, but now he saw he couldn’t have been more wrong. No architect or artist from his world, living or dead, could have ever come up with such a masterpiece.
The city was indeed a huge garden filled with life, color and magic. He saw trees of all sorts arranged in perfect style and harmony, endless kinds of flowers eternally blossomed and fresh. He smelled their aromas filling the air, rich and appetizing at the same time.
Hundreds of small streets divided from the two main roads and delved into the garden, allowing people to get lost inside it and enjoy nature’s majesty like nowhere else. Beautiful water fountains were everywhere around them, adding freshness and melody to the air. Nowhere had Daniel felt life more vibrant and buzzing than in this place, and now that he got here, he never wanted to leave.
Sticking to the main road, they were now approaching the great courtyard where the four giant statues of the Lords of Arba stood visible from miles away. Everything and everyone looked absolutely microscopic compared to these magnificent ice sculptures that reflected the light of the sun, without any sign of melting from its heat. The first one to their left stood tall the statue of Autumn. Spring and Summer followed in the middle, and Winter in the end. Their towers followed the same order on the beach.
Thousands of people were gathered around the oval shaped courtyard, waiting for the ceremony to begin. To his left, the sky-people were lined up in perfect formation behind a tall ivory chair, where Daniel assumed their queen sat.
To his right, he noticed a relatively small number of mostly red-haired people standing by the sea, next to what looked like a little bay of shallow water on the eastern edge of the courtyard. A giant open sea-shell floated there in the center, in which sat proudly Eleanor, this time wearing a beautiful festive gown. Behind her the sea had turned red from the multitudes of the mermaids that had gathered to take part in the celebrations from their own element.
In the middle section, thousands of people had gathered behind the royal throne where Diane would seat. The three queens’ thrones were placed at the edge of the courtyard, facing the Silver Throne, where the reigning Lord sat. In front of it, on three smaller thrones, sat the other Lords, looking directly at the queens and their people behind them. In the very center of the courtyard Daniel could now see the Eternal Clock, with its one hand pointing at the symbol of
Autumn.
As the Queen of the Land and her party of four approached the royal courtyard, the people divided and created a corridor for her to pass, bowing towards her in respect and veneration. She smiled warmly as she walked among them, looking at each of them in the eye and greeting them individually.
Daniel felt overwhelmed by the affection these people displayed towards his mother. He could not help but feel a sense of pride. Thinking of his own pain of her leaving him when he was only little, it now made him feel somewhat selfish. He was clearly not the only one who needed and loved her; she was a mother to all these people and this is where she was supposed to be. It was at this moment that he realized that if he had ever blamed her for leaving, he had now forgiven her completely and unequivocally.
As if sensing something, Diane turned around and looked at him. Their eyes met for a brief but sufficient moment, and as they smiled at each other, her lips formed the words: I love you! Daniel replied in the same manner and they continued their walk towards her royal throne.
They reached their destination just as the sound of a dozen trumpets filled the air, proclaiming the arrival of the Lords. To their far left, Daniel saw the Sky-Queen take her place in her high seat, with a handsome young wingman standing tall and proud beside her.
‘That is Séraphin, the queen’s only son and heir,’ Diane whispered in his ear. The two queens exchanged a quick look and bowed their heads cordially to each other.
To their far right, the Queen of the Seas sat on her floating throne, with her tail immersed into water. Her ever-present companions surrounded her, while their sisters watched and cheered in thousands from the sea.
Diane looked over and smiled at Eleanor, while taking her own place in the elegantly designed chair. Eleanor returned the gesture and then shifted her gaze to Nemo. Upon looking at her only son, her eyes brightened up at once.
Nemo waved at her, clearly happy to see his mother again. He had been thrilled to finally leave the sea and have his long expected journey, but he had never been away from her for so long and Daniel knew he missed her terribly.
Nemo turned to the Queen of the Land.
‘My lady, with your permission, I would take my place beside my mother.’
Diane nodded.
‘Of course Nemo, that is where you belong. Please let her know that I wish to meet with her after the ceremony.’
Nemo bowed down and after giving a meaningful look to Íro, as if to ensure her that he would be back soon, he ran in the direction of his family.
As Daniel watched him go, the crowds behind them began cheering and applauding. The Lords had left their palace and were now entering the courtyard one by one, heading towards their thrones.
The White Lord was first, dressed in his white royal robes, looking all humble and noble, and smiling at the crowds as if he actually meant it. He sat on the first of the three lesser thrones. Seeing him for the first time, Daniel had some difficulty believing this was the man responsible for sending him into hiding and plotting to change forever the way of life in Endërland. Looking at him, he saw a kind face, a father-like person that he felt he could trust and love. It was a sad thing that this was only a façade, and that the man behind it was an entirely different person.
Right behind the White Lord followed a beautiful woman with very long black hair. They were arranged delightfully with lots of flowers, and blended perfectly with her colorful gown. She took her seat on the second throne next to Winter. Daniel guessed she was Spring.
Next to approach was Summer. The blonde lady was wearing a long yellow dress and looking as if she was wrapped in the rays of the sun itself. She had the most radiant smile, and eyes as bright as Daniel had ever seen. She was clearly loved by the people, for the uproar grew stronger and louder as she took her place on the third throne, next to the other two rulers.
Immediately after her, the Lord of the Fall entered the courtyard, carrying the Silver Scepter on his right hand, and taking his place on the Silver Throne without much fanfare. He had the appearance of a man in his late years, old and wise, yet you could see he was still strong and full of life.
He looked at the crowds before him and seemed to feel touched by their affection, or maybe that was how Daniel was feeling. He noticed strangely that, as soon as the Lords entered the courtyard, the atmosphere changed drastically. The air felt fresher, if that was even possible, the sun shone brighter, and the colors all around them became even more intense and sharp. The wind died down and the sea stood still. The scent of the flowers and plants in the gardens grew a lot stronger, and the sounds of nature all around them a lot clearer.
But the effect was not confined to the outside alone; to Daniel it felt as if he was truly awake, for the first time ever, and was experiencing everything exactly as it was meant to be. He felt like he could breathe better, see and hear clearer. He felt his heart uplifted and his lips forming a big smile, completely of their own accord. It was as if happiness and joy had been injected into the air.
After allowing the people to cheer for a little longer, Autumn got up again and raised his arms, signaling for silence. Slowly the merriment stopped and the place grew quiet.
‘Citizens of Endërland; my fellow men, wingmen and mermaids. Welcome!’
The crowds replied by throwing a strong and unified ‘yeah’ at his direction. He smiled heartily.
‘We all know the story; the birth of the first child in the kingdom was announced to the world by raising a kite to the skies. People then got together to rejoice and celebrate this wonderful event and this has been the tradition among us ever since. Today, in much the same way we get together in this place to celebrate all life and give thanks to our Great Lord for everything good and beautiful he has blessed us with. And we do this by symbolically raising our kites to the skies, to invite everyone to join with us. So, lift them up and let the feast begin.’
Autumn ended his short speech by raising the Silver Scepter towards the sky with a powerful movement of his right hand, and just like that, along with a great cry from the people, that echoed all the way to the Northern Mountains, a strong wind began to blow.
This was it, the part that everyone was waiting for. The kites were lifted off the ground and taken up and high as the heavens. It was an unimaginable sight to behold. All eyes were looking up at the skies, as the sun was now completely blocked from view and the blue of the sky replaced by multitudes of colors, symbols and patterns.
The feast had officially begun.