chapter 16: Entering the palace
They headed out early to Os Alta the next morning. The Soldiers were excited to visit the capital. Most of them came from villages across Ravka and had never seen the palace with their own eyes. Kara enjoyed the buzz and conversation but she also knew she would have to be careful. The discussion she had had the day prior with her General was still fresh in her mind. She had diner with Ania but had not said anything to her concerning her discussion with the general. Considering the quiet diner they shared, kara believed Ania may have had a similar conversation with the darkling.
It was only a day's journey to the military base of Os Alta which stood on the other side of the palace in opposition to the town. The city was huge and bustling with activity. It took almost an hour to get to the palace on foot. The main road was large enough to accommodate the arrival of the army wagons. However, the curious civilians having come to welcome the soldiers home crowded the streets, making their progress difficult. flower petals were thrown by young girls out of house windows and their ears rang with clapping, cheering and whistling. At the head of the column, was the prince and his cousin, followed closely by the generals and their guards. The rest of the army followed suit, humbly, behind them.
Kara could barely see the head of the column apart from the silhouette of the darkling in his black coat and horse. The palace was at a top of a hill overlooking the city. Kara could already see some of the grand towers spilling over the great wall protecting it. Luka had told her that the little palace, where Grisha trained and experimented, was right next to the royal wagons struggled on the path slopping upwards. Kara, Artyom, Seraphine and Yurii had to get off and walk by their pony. As they arrived near the entrance, Kara saw that a path continued outside of the ramparts, probably leading to the military base on the other side. The entrance to the palace was a big iron gate, the metal folded into elegant leaves and flowers.
General Kirigan, called out to his Grisha, " Those from the Second Army are to follow me inside to the little palace. Form ranks by the entrance and await instructions!". Kara saw Ania and her two apprentices hop from their carriage. Igor and the other heartrenders made their way through the crowd of soldiers. Kara was astounded at how few they were compared to the First Army. She watched the Grisha arrange in an orderly fashion, groups of red, purple and blue. The prince and his cousin were no where in sight and had probably already slipped into the palace, immediately recognized by the gate guards.
General Biryukov made his way to Kara as she was about to follow the soldiers to the base, " Not you Kara, your coming to the palace directly". She swallowed, " I had hoped to help my comrades settle in the infirmary first". Biryukov shook his head, " The prince has insisted that you be made ready to meet his father this evening. Take what you need for a few days stay and follow me." Kara felt rushed and grabbed her satchel as well as a bag with her few belongings and spare change of clothes. " Artyom, your in charge while I am away." He nodded, " Don't worry, we'll manage". She turned to Seraphine, who was sore and tired from the journey, " take care of Yurii but do not take him to your niece without me. And please Seraphine, take some borage oil and tumeric once you get their. I can feel your bones acking just by looking at you".
Seraphine patted her face, " Yes dorogaya, be careful. I hear it is a real spider's nest." Kara nodded and helped Seraphine back into the wagon as they where now on flat terrain. Yurii hugged her around her middle and Kara gently pulled him away, " Do not be afraid. You are Seraphine's apprentice and no one is taking you away while I am gone. Do you understand?". Yurii gulped but nodded. She grabbed him under his arms and raised him into the back of the wagon. Artyom hopped to the front and took the reins, " Give us news quickly Kara, if you need us we will not be far away!". She waved at them as she followed her general near to where the Grisha soldiers had gathered.
She noticed that Vasily and a couple other wounded soldiers of the First Army were also waiting. She smiled at Vasily who held out his hand for her to shake, still leaning onto a crutch, " How are you feeling soldier?". He walked a couple steps to show her his progress. he was still limping but barely needed the crutch.
"I'm very well thank you but I'm expecting to be sent home. Despite my miraculous recovery I am considered too crippled to continue on fighting." He seemed relieved, " General Biryukov has gathered the worst wounded to ask the king for permission to be dismissed and sent home." Kara understood better the presence of the other soldiers. She recognized all of them, as they had all spent several weeks in her infirmary. They removed their hats and bowed or smiled as she saluted them.
The first to go through the gate was the Second Army with the darkling standing by on his prancing stallion. Ania and Luka looked back to see Kara and waved at her before disappearing behind the stone wall. The darkling's head turned to look at general Biryukov who would now follow suit. However, his gaze stopped over to Kara standing by. He bowed his head slightly at her and she smiled, bowing in turn. He paused for a moment and she wondered if he would trot over to speak to her. But he turned his horse and disappeared within the ramparts. General Biryukov bellowed, " Alright soldiers! By the king's grace, you are invited to the guest barracks until tonight. You will clean yourselves, trim your hair and beards and make yourselves presentable. You will not address our excellency, I will do the talking to have you sent home. Are we clear?". The soldiers answered in unison, " yes, general!". He grunted his approval and turned on his heels, " Follow me!". Kara did not know how to march. She never had had to. So she felt out of place and out of order as the soldiers marched to the same rhythm together. Feeling that her tentative to follow was poor, she stood with the soldiers wounded to their legs and hobbling as they could to follow. She stayed close to Vasily, who seemed happy to have his savior by his side. The procession of palace buildings were grand. The white stone walls seeming to brush the sky. Their coldness warmed by the presence of trees and gardens. Everything was well kept and impeccably clean, to the point that the soldiers and Kara felt dirty.
They continued to walk onwards until they passed the palace, to a white stone building smaller than the others along the back wall of the ramparts. General Biryukov explained to Kara, that if she could see through the wall, the military base was a 15 minute walk away on the other side. The barracks were clean and orderly and newer than the base in Ryevnost. Whereas the base in the old orphanage allowed little privacy with rooms shared between 12 to 24 soldiers, here the rooms accommodated for 4 people. this was a more intimate and restful place. General Biryukov led her to a small bedroom made for a higher ranking soldier. " You'll stay here", he said. You are the only woman on the stay here and I believe you might like the privacy." She thanked him warmly, relieved that she would be able to clean and dress without onlooking soldiers. The general grew slightly pink to his cheeks, seeing that his little favor had made her happy. He told her to be ready in an hour and went to his own room adjacent to hers.
The room was quaint. A simple bed with clean white sheets stood to a corner near a window overlooking the gardens. A wooden desk and dresser stood back to the other wall. a basin, a pitcher of water and towel were already set on the dresser with a fresh bar of soap. A clean army ensemble was folded neatly at the foot of the bed on a wooden chest. It had been so long since she had had a room to herself, Kara felt almost jittery with excitement. She threw her bag down and fell onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling. Her heart was beating faster in anticipation for the meeting with the king. She closed her eyes and told herself to breath.
