By Sheryl Marie

This had been Lance’s first carriage ride. They left the town of Bright Stone with gusts of wind waving them onward. Trees and wildflowers all craved recognition. The foliage reached out trying to catch his attention with leaves and limbs of brilliant emerald shades. Nature’s lush scenery swam by until cobblestone was well under the horses’ hooves.

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They traveled through Puddles, a quaint church village, and then had a bit of a stretch through farmlands before actually reaching the first gatehouse of the castle. The chimes of a blacksmith’s hammer falling was heard off in the area towards the right along with the muttering of livestock. The busy market and horse stables were off to his left. Mounds of hay were piled taller than a man’s reach. Lance gazed up at the soldiers pacing the ramparts of the outer wall; shadows cast under their helms and deepened their eye sockets with eerie authority.

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Another gatehouse welcomed the carriage, its strong iron teeth opened wide, as guards approved their entry. Lance held his breath until they exited the dark interior, reentering daylight. Inside these inner workings of the castle property were carts filled with food and goods. Three girls carried freshly picked flowers in their aprons, heading towards the keep with kisses of soil along the rim of their skirts. To the right was the house of healing, to the far right was the cemetery for the noble family and the church. To the far left rested the barracks and tournament area. Whizzing and cheers came from archers making their mark outside the barracks. Lance leaned his head out the carriage and admired their skill.

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Foremost was the main structure of the castle in all its power. Shadows pulled between the cracks of stone, reaching upwards. Greenish glass windows gleamed outward acknowledging the horizon, showing off its wealth and status for all of the land. Two circular towers formally addressed the entrance on each side of the stairway, leading to the keep. The castle stretched its arms out wide and was roughly six times as tall as any sturdy structure from town. The back of its body rested on a cliff, eavesdropping to the sound of thundering ocean waves crashing against rocks from far below.