OoO( 29 )OoO

The ship docked at one of the only open piers they could fine. Slowly it pulled in and came to a stop. Raven dove over the edge of the boat and quickly secured the vehicle to the dock to make sure it didn't float away, then climbed back up the rope almost as quickly as he had descended.

A short time later, a ladder was put down for the crew to reach the docks. Soon after, the hero climbed down and looked at the wonder before him. The city was enourmous, with walls the color of sunlight surrounding the entire metropolis. He looked over at the walls on either side of the docks and noticed small shelters built into them, each a few hundred feet from one another. "Certainly well defended..." he said as he began examining the city again. It was built into the side of the mountain, each section of the city was a shelf of its own on the mountain side.

Right down the center of the city was a large road that led up to a huge building sitting on the top tier of the mountain city. Soon, Alex came down after him, then the twin girls. The hero turned to his first mate, Raven, and shouted, "Stay on the ship for now. We'll see how the homecoming is before we start unloading!" The man nodded at him and went back to his duties on the ship.

As the four began walking down the pier towards the city, they were confronted by one of the dock workers. He was short and round, walking in almost a waddling fashion as he approached. Finally getting to the family, he stopped them. "I'll need the name of your ship, the captains name, and your business in the city."

Alex stepped forward with a smile. "The ships name is Talon, her captains name is Nemo, and we have come from Albion to see my family." said the beautiful archer.

The man quickly began writing the information down with a charcoal stick onto parchment. "That'll be forty gold for the day, and if you plan to stay any longer then that'll be extra." he said finishing the parchment off, then took out a small container and opened it, dipped his ring into it, and pressed it onto the document, leaving an imprint of the ring on the paper. "Visiting family huh? Albion is months away from here. Must be pretty important to come all that way for a visit." he said as he rolled it up and handed it to Lyle.

"You could say that." said the warrior as he took the document and stashed it in his armor. The dock worker looked up at Lyle for the first time and noticed his armor and weapons.

"I'm afraid you'll have to leave those on your ship." said the man, referring to the long blade and bow and arrow on his back. The hero took the weapons off and put them on the ship, then paid the foreman. "Everythings set. Just show the documentation to the city gateman and he'll let you inside. Since you're new to the city I'll make this clear. You cause any trouble, there are a thousand archers stationed around the city that could shave your head clean with their arrows. So mind yourself." he said, then began waddling away back to his station on the docks.

Lyle chuckled as the man walked away. "Well, that was an interesting 'Welcome to the city'." he said. Alex smirked as she held her two daughters hands, walking them along the wooden jetty.

"We haven't thrived the way we do by being nice to criminals. Don't worry though, I'll protect you when you get in trouble." she said giggling.

He looked at her with an injured expression. "When?" he asked posing dramatically. "But, I'm innocent! I would never cause trouble!" he said acting offended. She laughed, then raised her foot and kicked him, forcing him forward along the pier.

They made it inside the gates with little trouble, and were soon walking up the long road to the top of the pyramid-like city. Lyle looked around in awe at the amount of people in the enormous metropolis. "This is amazing..." he said as he saw massive groups of people moving from one food stand or merchant to the next. "Even Bowerstone was only a quarter the size of this place..." he said, still looking around in awe.

Chuckling at his child-like behavior, she pressed on until finally they had reached the top of the city, which required climbing an enormous stone staircase. At the top of the stairs, they were stopped by a guard with a large bow on his back, wearing silver armor that had a crest showing a bow with large angelic wings. The man placed his long pike in their path.

"What's your business with the royal family?" asked the man.

Alex stepped forward. "Me and my family would like an audience with his royal highness." she said politely.

"Haven't been here in a while have you?" asked the guard curiously, getting a confused look from her. "The king is ill and has been bedridden for the last few months. The queen is ruling in his place." he said, causing Alex to gasp in shock.

"Please, may we have an audience with the queen then?" she asked urgently.

The guard nodded as he raised his weapon again. "Of course, just go straight through the..." he said, but she took off before he could finish. Lyle picked up his two daughters and carries them with him as he followed her.

"Sorry..." said the warrior as he passed the guard and entered the large manor. When they got inside, Lyle was struck with the color gold and red. The floor was made of a soft material dyed red and spread across a wide area, leading all the way to the large throne in the center of the large hall. There was a line of about ten people standing along the red carpet, each waiting to get their request heard by the ruler. And in the throne, sat a woman in gold and red robes. The age showing clearly on her face, as well as her hair which had grey streaks in the shining blonde.

The look on her face was one that Lyle was intimately familiar with. Tiredness, wanting to give up, wanting nothing more than an exhausted mind wanting it all to be over with. Alex ran forward and the line shortened. It was only a few minutes before the woman was at the head of the red carpet, looking straight into her mothers tired eyes.

She knelt down, as did Lyle and the two girls. "Daddy, who is that?" asked Alma curiously. But her father shushed her.

"What is it you wanted to speak to me about?" asked the woman in the throne.

"Your majesty, I wish to see my family again." she said, then stood up and stared at her mother. The older woman looked at her curiously.

"And where is your family?" she asked. Before anything else could be said, the sound of clattering metal startled everyone in the hall, including the newcomers that had lined up behind Lyle and Alex. Everyone looked over to see a tall man with long flowing blond hair and almost glowing green eyes standing over a tray of broken chalices, the liquid that was previously inside them now spreading across the red carpet. "Lucien? What's the matter?" asked the woman on the throne.

The man moved forward, his thin form almost gliding across the floor, then grabbed Alex by her shoulders and stared at her long and thoroughly. Finally, he spoke. "A-Alexandria..." he said, his face lit up as if he had just discovered cure for his disease.

She smiled at him as tears started to flow from her eyes. "Hello brother..." she said embracing him. He hugged her tightly, instantly breaking down into tears. The woman on the throne stood immediately and rushed down the small flight of steps to the carpet and pulled them apart, then stared at the woman.

"What trickery is this?" she asked, stepping away suspiciously. "My daughter died in Albion years and years ago..."

"Mother, please..." said Alex as she stepped forward. But the older woman took another step back.

"Don't come any closer! I'll not have this kind of sorcery in my kingdom!" she shouted.

Lyle finally stood. He probably shouldn't cut in, but he wasn't about to let this happen. "We thought she was dead too." he said, grabbing the attention of every eye in the room. "We hadn't seen her for years. She was nowhere to be found." he said as he took a step towards the woman.

"So this is sorcery then!" she said worriedly.

"No. We hadn't seen her because she was missing. She had been injured very badly, and it blacked out her mind. When we finally found her, she had lost her memory. She didn't know who she was, or where she came from. Only when I..." he said looking at Alex. "Only when I found her, and held her, did she remember who she truly was." he said smiling at his wife.

The queen looked at her and took a few steps closer, inspecting her more. "If what you say is true, and you are my daughter...then prove it." she said.

Nodding, Alex moved forward and took her mothers hand. "I remember when I was young, you would always tell me a story about a princess and a hero. The princess didn't want to rule a kingdom, and wanted to explore the world. So she left her kingdom one day, to try and live her dream of exploration. But she got very lost in the forest..." she said.

The womans legs felt weak and she fell to her knees, looking up at the girl in front of her. "She was lost, but a hero had found her..." said the queen, who now held both of her daughters hands. "And returned her home safe and sound." recited the woman. "Alex..."

Alex's tears flowed faster as she knelt down to her mother, who cupped her face gently. "Mother..."

"It really is you, isn't it?" she asked with tearful joy. She hugged her daughter tightly.

Lyle smiled and knelt down and nudged his daughters. "Mommy could really use a hug right now." he said, then chuckled as the twins bolted off and wrapped their arms around their mother and grandmother.

Alex smiled at her daughters as they tried cheering her up. "And who are these little angels?" asked the older woman.

"These are your granddaughters." said Alex happily as Lucien attempted to help them up from the floor.

The queen immediately looked at her daughter in shock. "I have..." she asked, unable to finish the question. As Alex nodded, she stood up straight and threw her hands in the air. "Praise Avo!" she shouted.

Almost as soon as it had happened, the news was out that Alexandria was not only alive, but was back at home in the kingdom. The streets filled with festive lights as the day grew darker with the coming of night. The citizens could be heard having their own celebrations inside taverns, houses, and even out in the streets. The kingdom of Ambervale almost immediately changed from a quiet crushed city, into a kingdom whos lights nearly rivaled the stars in the sky.