PELAIR. The Gems of the Golden Serpent.

22. An Audience at Ardel

"How have you dared to sully the name of my lady?" exclaimed the puppet with a shrill voice. A puppeteer deftly manipulated it, stagging a battled against another tiny marionette, who, with his little wooden sword, made strenuous efforts to avoid being defeated by his opponent of wood and fabric.

The company of puppeteers was one of many groups that, along with singers, comedians, acrobats, jugglers, magicians, and other artists, had converged on the city of Ardel. It was the festivities to celebrate the eighteenth anniversary of Guildor's ascension to the Throne as Emperor to the kingdoms of Nunsia, Nuria, and Luria, and the establishment of the Empire of The Triad. This time, there would be the enthroning of the Alasia's twins, as formal princesses of Nunsia and Nuria. He decreed the commemoration of that event with quirky and sumptuous celebrations throughout all major cities and towns of the Empire.

The Duke was a cruel and despotic ruler, but by no means stupid. He knew the best way to maintain people subjugated, was not only through violence which he profusely lavished but also by dazzling them with false gifts and promises. Of course, these never became a reality but contributed to keeping alive the hopes of the poor and dispossessed. He had skillfully managed to sow distrust of the ordinary people for their former rulers so that violence and lawlessness strolled with impunity throughout the kingdom. The disunity and distrust the population professed for each other, prevented the citizens from establishing effective plans to oppose him.

Even though the city was not located directly on the Gulf of Pelair, it used to compete in the past as an important port with its northern neighbor of Celara, the capital of Nuria. The town rested on the north shore of the Luris River, which was perfectly navigable, thus enabling the establishment of trade with other kingdoms. It was also the gateway to the southern monarchies beyond the passage of Orhún. The city streets displayed a lavished decoration for the occasion. Large lanterns placed intermittently lit either side of the broad avenue allowing the festivities to last up to very late hours of the night.

Along with the artists, a profusion of merchants and sellers of all kinds of stuff and trinkets mingled, taking advantage of the festivities decreed by Guildor, to make fat profits with the needy people of the city. Joining them had also arrived at Ardel, a legion of prostitutes who offered their services openly, showing their nakedness to their prospects without the slightest qualms.

This agglomeration had allowed Aela and her companions to pass unnoticed in the unlikely event someone from Terrara recognized and betrayed them.

The troupe had arrived at the city at the beginning of the festivities. They passed as one of the many troops of troubadours who acted and recited on the streets, stories of long-forgotten wars.

The city was in a very deplorable state, as compared to how it had been when it shone as the capital of the kingdom of Luria. Then, it was considered the jewel of all Pelair.

That night, they rehearsed before a broad audience that had clustered around the troupe, the staging of the Battle of the Whistling River, when Guildor's army had defeated Luria to establish his dominance over the Triad. The troupe had considered that such an act would be an excellent way to get attention and be among the groups chosen to stage before the Emperor. They had not been wrong. Perhaps for yearnings of the old kingdom, or to curry in favor of the numerous whistleblowers that swarmed the street of the city, the people of Ardel massively concurred night after night to witness their performance.

From what had been a beautiful boardwalk along the river, the city opened to a vast terrain with a large central island planted with tall palms in what was once a beautiful garden that as a green carpet guided visitors from the port to the nearby Palace of Ardel, located at the other end. The remains of four soaring towers that curled on themselves, and once covered with crystals that, like a kaleidoscope reflected the sunlight, stood now partially demolished, serving as a sad reminder of the once not so distant splendorous past of the city.