Lyra looked up at Helena's call, and her gaze wandered along the road ahead of them. Then, there in the distance, she saw it, the Capital City. A massive stone wall surrounded the city, with stone towers, outcroppings and murder-holes that would make the city a nightmare to put under siege. Behind the stone wall the rest of the city was difficult to spot, but she could see the large Royal Palace further inside the city. Large spires, towers and great halls, it was truly a feat of impressive architecture. The city sat on one side of a river, which meant it also had a harbor district. Behind the city, a large lake sprawled out, with a small island on it. Looking at the size of the city walls, and how big the land footprint of the city was, Lyra guessed it likely housed at least 100,000 people.
"The Capital City, the crown Jewel of the Revean Empire." Henry said as they rode towards city. It was still some distance away so they wouldn't reach it in at least another half hour. The wall fully encompassed the entire city, with a harbor district built outside the city walls, squeezed between the walls themselves and the riverbank. The city was strategically located by the river's mouth leading out into the lake, and Lyra could see how this position would have been a good and defensible location, all the while you establish control over the river itself.
The Royal Palace sat up on a hill, from where one had great view over the lake, river and all the surrounding lands. Lyra guessed one could reach the sea by following the river, and also perhaps reach further inland via the lake, so it was a good position for trade and transport.
-"How many live in the city?" Lyra asked, looking up at Henry.
"Close to 200,000, but we do not have an exact number since there are a few undocumented who live in the poorer parts of the city." he responded.
Lyra nodded slowly. It was a lot of people, to be sure. As they got closer, she spotted plenty of ships sailing up and down the river. Most seemed to be transporting-vessels, while some seemed made to carry passengers rather than goods.
After another half hour, they were now in front of the gates to the city. A moat surrounded the outside of the wall, and a bridge spanned across the moat. Then there was the gate itself, a towering behemoth of stone and iron. Thick wooden doors reinforced with metal slabs, and a massive iron fence that could be lowered from above in front of the doors. There was a check-point on either side of the gate it seemed, and plenty of people queuing to speak with the guards manning the check-point. There was also a smaller line off to the side, likely one kept separate for the nobility, and that was where they were now headed.
As soon as they approached, 2 city guards stepped out from their positions. However, as soon as the Prince got closer, they immediately stood at attention. "Your royal Highness, welcome back!" they said in unison. No one bothered dismounted, as Henry responded:
"Thank you, keep up the good work. I assume there are no issues here?"
"None at all, your majesty! Please, do enter!" one of the guardsmen said, at which point the 3 horses and 4 passengers passed beneath the massive stone gate. Lyra's eyes widened as they emerged on the other side, and she was immediately hit by all the new sensations. Massively crowded streets, tall multiple-story buildings with overhangs, horse-drawn carriages rolling over the cobbled streets, the smell of food and music.
Even the commoners here seemed to be better off than those in Brightwood Village, Lyra thought, as they were clad in better clothing. The women wore their tunics and long skirts and shoes, while the men had shirts and pants and boots. Most common colors were brown, yellow-ish white and even green. On occasion she'd spot people in fancier clothing, dresses for the women and suits of different kinds for the men, and she assumed those were nobility.
Lyra and the trio were now riding slower, the horses having slowed down to a pleasant trot as they moved through the middle of the cobblestone road. Lyra looked around, left and right, soaking in the sights and smells. Even in her past life, she had never seen such crowds. She also found the medieval architecture quite charming. The lower levels of the houses seemed mostly made from chiseled stone, while the upper levels were primarily made of wood and clay. Nearly all houses here had glass windows and thick iron-reinforced doors. That said, it was very crowded and the houses were all crammed together against each other, creating very narrow and dark alleyways between the houses, with various courtyards here and there which created quite the maze, outside of the wider main-roads that is. Some ten minutes later and they reached a large square, with a few trees and a fountain in the middle. Lining the square were various high-end stores and pubs and taverns, and Lyra could smell many delicious things, from confectionery like cakes and buns, to actual food like fish and roast meat.
After the square, they turned right, following a boulevard which seemed to go straight for nearly a kilometer, leading up to the Castle Walls and Royal Palace. As they reached the castle walls, these gates were manned by another set of guards from the city guards. The guardsmen here wore blue cloaks and surcoats displaying the royal crest, which was a White Stag on a Blue background. Their helmets were also larger and carried blue plumes. They were likely the royal guards, Lyra figured, seeing they were better equipped and looked more important. As Henry approached, they too stood at attention and offered a salute.
"Your Majesty." they said.
"At ease, guardsmen. I am returning from my mission in the Oberon Wilds, alongside my Court-Magus and the Knight-Captain of the 7th Knight Order." Henry explained.
"Understood, your highness. Who is she?" the other guardsman asked, looking up and down along a list, before glancing up at Lyra.
"She is my personal guest. Let us leave it at that." Henry said, short yet polite. The Royal Guardsmen eyed Lyra up and down, as she sat in front of His Highness the Second Prince, on his own horse, clad in a Knight's Ceremonial uniform, and yet the only woman who had accompanied his highness on his venture had been the Court-Magus, and she was on her own horse right beside them. It was, for a lack of a better word, extremely fishy.
"Your Highness, protocol dictate-" the Royal Guardsman began, but Henry cut him off.
"Am I not a master of this palace in your eyes, Guard?" he said, putting some extra emphasis on the word "Guard", his tone far more blunt now.
"O-of course you are, your Highness!" The Royal Guardsman said, his face flushed.
"Protocol exists for everyone except Royalty. She is my guest, and my responsibility. That is that." Henry retorted, voice just as firm and absolute as before.
"Of course! Please, do pass through!" the Royal Guardsman said, and both of them stepped aside hurriedly.
Without another word, Henry steered his horse past the gate. The Inner-Court of the castle was home to a variety of buildings and functions. You had the servants quarters and the Knight's barracks, as well as a large stables, which was where they were now headed. Henry rode inside and handed the reigns over the nearby stableboy, before he dismounted in one fluid motion. Then, he held his arms out for Lyra, and helped to lift her down to the ground. Lyra did not necessarily need any help, but she appreciated the gesture and found herself blushing slightly as his hands supported her waist. But then the moment was over. Henry left to speak with the caretaker of the stables for a few short minutes, only to return not long after.
"Horses will get a few days rest and some good feed, the best hay the palace has to offer. Then they'll be sent back along a merchant caravan to Brightfield Village." he said.
"What do we do now?" Lyra asked. She was eager to explore the Royal Palace and the castle, but figured now was probably not the time.
"We'll probably have an audience with the Emperor and Empress, to discuss my mission, which you will be the main attraction of I'm afraid. After that, or during that, we may have a chance to confront the Empress." Henry said, giving Lyra a look of sympathy. Lyra in turn looked less than thrilled, but she had already been brief on this long before.
-"Lets get it done then, shall we?" she said, and the others nodded. They then walked together across the courtyard, up a set of stairs, round a corner, until they reached what appeared to be the Entrance to the Royal Palace itself. In front of its gates were 4 Royal Guardsmen, halberds in hand, heavily armored, their blue plumes waving in the gentle breeze.
"Would you let the Royal Crier know that Prince Henry has returned from his mission to the Oberon Wilds and would like to request an audience with the Emperor posthaste?" Henry said, and immediately the 4 guardsmen stood in attention. One of them then nodded and opened a small door to the side, vanishing into the palace with a quick "Right away, your Highness!"
"We have traveled far, have the reception room arranged for us while we wait." Henry then said. Another of the guardsmen rang a bell, and a butler stepped out from a nearby building, hurrying over this way. It was different, seeing Henry like this, in his element. He was only 22, but had such an air of authority around him. When he spoke, he never questioned himself. He didn't ask, he commanded. The Butler quickly greeted first his Highness, then the Knight-Captain, then the Court-Magus, and finally Lyra. He too looked quite puzzled by her, but elected not to comment. It was, after all, not his place.
He then guided the four past the main gate of the palace, and then directly into a room to the left. The room was well lit, with a few soft looking sofas and chairs, and plenty of bookcases with reading materials.
"The Servants will be here soon with tea and confectionery, your Highness." the Butler said with a deep bow.
"Good. Oh, and please notify the servants to ready a selection of dresses for my guest. Lady Helena, would you go upstairs with Lady Lyra and ensure she can get changed into something more appropriate? Now that we are inside the Palace, there is no longer a need to impersonate a member of the 7th Knight Order after all." Henry said, as he sat down on a sofa, tossing one leg over the other.
"Wha-" said Lyra, but her response was quickly drowned out by the unified "At once, your Majesty!" from both Helena and the Butler. Then, Helena hooked her arm around Lyra's arm and began to pull her off to the side, towards a door which contained a spiral staircase, which led to a changing room upstairs. It would seem whoever built this palace had truly though of everything. Lyra barely had any time to look around the room before a handful of women clad in maid's clothing rushed inside, bringing with them dozens of dresses, as well as threads and needles and measuring tape.
They surrounded her and deftly began to undress her then and there, stripping her down to her bare skin which led to a few protests but when Lyra looked to Helena for help, she just shook her head and said: "Get used to it. You must be made presentable, dear."
When the last bits of clothing came off, and her long blue hair and elf ears were revealed, the maids gasped and stopped what they were doing, looking at Lyra with big eyes. They whispered amongst themselves while staring:
"Look, she's an elf!"
"She's incredibly pretty..."
"I guess the rumors about elven women are true after all..."
Of course, Lyra heard everything. Even without her elf hearing, the maids were not exactly subtle in how they looked at her. Lady Helena clapped her hands once, and said loudly: "Get it together! I know she is extremely pretty, but you have a job to do. Get back to it!"
That seemed to break the spell the maids were under, and they got back to work. One took her measurements, calling out numbers and letters left and right, which meant nothing to Lyra. But the other maids seemed to understand it, as they brought forth a variety of dresses and held them up towards Lyra, checking the colors and shapes compared to her body figure. Meanwhile, two others were preparing the underwear, and they started dressing Lyra in her undergarments while the others made adjustments to the light blue dress they had settled on.
First, a set of silken white panties, followed by white see-through stockings that connected to the panties via a garter belt and clasps, ensuring the stockings stayed up. Then came the corset, which puffed up her breasts even more and made her waist look even slimmer than it already was. "Not too hard, ladies. She is not used to it, nor does she need much "Correction" to begin with..." Helena said. After that, it was time for the dress. Lyra understood that there was no way for a person to get dressed alone, assistance was definitely needed. The maids lifted the dress over her head and then brought it down over her. They slid her arms into the loops and tied the thing together at her back, locking the dress in place. It was a beautiful blue dress of a similar shade to her hair, which left much of her back exposed, along with plenty of her neck, shoulders and cleavage.
Then it was time for jewelry and the hair. Two maids braided her hair, ensuring that its length was preserved while also pulling the hair back enough to put focus on her sharp and pointed ears, making her face look slightly more angular. "You have such a nice and delightful face to look at, My Lady, you should bring it out more!" one of the maids said, which just made Lyra wonder how on earth she was supposed to "bring her face out" more than she already was. Then again, this wasn't earth, so what gives.
A silver necklace with a sapphire centerpiece was chosen, and quickly came to adorn her neck. Then came the make-up box, but Lady Helena held out a hand to stop them. "Not necessary. Now shoes." to which they maids scurried off again, only to return seconds later carrying briefcases full of women's shoes. They settled on a white pair of heels, with a rather smell heel. Lyra was quite tall for a woman to begin with, so she did not need much of a height boost. All in all, everything took nearly half an hour, and when everything was said and done, she just felt dizzy. The maids on the other stood in a group, admiring their handicraft.
"Goodness me, I wish I could get a magic portrait of this..." one said.
"I know, then again, I don't think I could ever forget such beauty even if I tried." said another.
"I now regret marrying..." said a third, nodding solemnly and crying a quiet tear.
Lyra just hid her face in her hands. She felt very bare, and it was uncomfortable, but at the same time, all this positive attention and compliments made her heart beat faster. She had never been pretty or beautiful before, not once in her old life. She knew her new, elven self was beautiful, but she had still never prepared for these kinds of reactions.
"Alright Lady Lyra, lets return back to reception room and wait for the audience, shall we?" Lady Helena said, offering her arm to Lyra.
-"Yes please." Lyra said and eagerly took the arm. To the disappointment of many maids, she and Helena quickly disappeared down the stairs again. However, as they emerged back down in the reception room, Prince Henry's jaw fell so far it could have shattered the floor. So gobsmacked was he by the transformation of Lyra, that he could not even get a word out for more than a minute.
James was not entirely without reaction either, as he said: "You know, Lyra, I do have a son who will be an adult soon, perhaps I should set something u-" but he was interrupted by Helena who had marched on over and quickly stomped on his foot with her heel. "Oh don't you start you sly old fox!" she remarked, while the Knight-Captain tried to get away from Court-Magus.
Just then and there, the Butler emerged, saving the Knight-Captain from further injury.
"The audience chamber is ready for you now, Your Majesty, Knight-Captain, Court-Magus, Milady." he said, leaving no time to enjoy the tea and cake the servants of the palace had prepared. Instead, the four of them left under the guidance of the butler. Lyra could not help but feel a clump form in her stomach. How would this all play out?