The nights in Hestis were surely quieter than the days, but certainly more welcoming, well... Depending on where you were located. Lightbugs glowed like monsterous eyes in the yards and gardens, forcing the young to quiet down for the evening, for the lies of their mothers had convinced them that what glows through the window is not a harmless dancing insect, but the eyes of the midnight beasts, the fearsome monsters whose manes stung like nettle and whose teeth could bite through even the scales of a dragon. Such beasts didn't exist for what Adlem knew, but maybe that was exactly what the midnight beasts wanted him to think. Half of the hunt was decepting the prey after all. He thought as he walked through the streets where every second lamp had stopped working a while ago.

The city of Hestis was the newer capital of the tiny, but mighty empire of Aturqua. The world remembered this nation's former glory as a powerhouse that once ruled the majority of Vaff, as ancient doccuments of wonderous storytellers and scalds of the feather and quill told about the world that once was. It was because of them that an educated citizen knew their roots, as well as the roots of his friends, enemies and for some - their servants and slaves. Adlem was not such educated citizen though. To him, the world existed as it was "for some reason" and it couldn't be helped, as the information that was required for that to change was not accessible in the slums. As for the old capital - it currently layed behind the treacherous border with the enemy nation of Montepontis. The loss of land, along with the capital had been happening gradually over the years, as an empire of the caliber of Old Aturqua could not be managed so simply. The land of Aturqua was now only the backbone of it's former glory.

Hestis itself had two rings of city walls, dividing the city into three major layers. The outer layer, known simply as "outer Hestis" was unprotected, as it formed a barrier of homes for the poverty around the city walls. It once wasn't like this, but nowadays it was the largest sector of the city. Not every part of the outer layers was a slum though. Some residents could not afford a roof above their heads, some places had roofs but not residents, while some had dominated the market, providing goods that everyone in this sector required in order to survive - food, education, livestock. All at affordable prices. As long as one could afford them, of course.

Behind the first set of walls was "Inner Hestis", where the folks' financial status ranged from moderate to aristocrat. The buildings in these parts were designed to fit a certain theme in order to improve the aesthetic for forreign eyes to adore. The roofs of almost all houses were blue and the roads had clearly defined sidewalks for those who preferred to walk on foot, so they don't crash into the trading carts. It was also here where the universities and other crucial institutions were.

The inner-most layer was simply known as "the castle", as that's what it was! It was where the royal family resided and where they did everything a royal family member would do, without the need to ever go outside. Inside the castle it was gorgeous - everyone inside was dressed beautifully and colorfully, even the horses and the hounds. The towers of the walls held statues of heroes with immeasurable glory from times past, making sure their images were eternal. On the inside, one could find a rare gem on the ground as if it was a coin on the common streets. The buildings were also held by immovable foundations and decorated with majestic ornaments, all in a certain royal thematic - magnificent pillars, shiny mosaics of gems and all the roads had pots of beautiful assortment of flowers all year round.

Adlem had broken into the castle before, but it was certainly no easy task, as it was dependant on the time and the weather, as well as several other factors, but luckily, his strategy worked every time. First, he had to hop onto a horse wagon that was heading inside. It was no easy task though, as not all the wagons' passengers were planning to haggle with the royals, also because the royal wagons were not in any way different than any other wagon. It was for protection and avoiding suspicion from the poor of course. For this task, Adlem had to find a wagon, which was transporting members of the royal family into the castle. Doesn't sound easy? Adlem had learned that a royal wagon is one that has nothing wrong with it going on! No broken wheels, no skinny hungry horses, no missing curtains. A wagon like this was a rare sight among the common folk, but it was not too uncommon as the royals were such big suckers for trips. It was just so boring inside of the castle, nothing was ever going on in there besides studying and being so easily pleased by servants and rich meals. It was why Adlem rarely visited it, as well as because if you got caught inside illegally, you might end up being the next meal of the King's lions that he adored so dearly into his personal lion garden.

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There a wagon was! It's wheels were sturdy and the horses pulling it were brushed and had visibly strong muscles. These could jump over a giant! Or a really tall man! With ease! At the back, the wagon was built like a square chamber with a door that had two windows at it's side, but usually, the curtains were down, so the folk doesnt see what's inside. At the front of the wagon, where the jockey was sitting, was a storage compartment. It couldn't hold much more than a wooden box or two, but the royals always brought boxes, full of clothes in abundance. They certainly had too many of those. All it took was for the jockey to get himself checked up at the entrance, as the guards knew that the royals hated waiting, so they let them pass without checking their baggage. Adlem simply had to get inside the box while the jockey was off, then he would be inside in no time.

That was exactly what happened. The jockey had gotten off in order to introduce himself to the guards for his checkup. There was a long line of wagons. Adlem guessed they were all here to see the dragon. The king was probably throwing a banquette. The jockey was probably carrying someone important as he was trying to cut in line for their passenger not to wait too long. It was already late, late evening, so unless one had shiny clothes, the guards wouldn't be able to see them from afar. Adlem quickly snuck up on the jockey's section, opened the box, threw some clothes underneath the cart and hopped in. These were pretty green dresses made of silk, one of them having been sown with some shiny fabric in order to glitter like gems, while also bearing white ornaments like spider webs. Some royals had no taste. The boxes creaked like crazy, but there seemed to be ruckus from the jockey cutting in line, so Adlem was certainly safe.

The inside of the box was tight and cramped, but it was only temporary as when the jockey returned, he instantly cut in line and got in. Adlem had gotten his golden ticket! He was overjoyed. Soon, the road stopped being bumpy and after a while, the wagons would stop in order to get the storage of the passengers taken off and delivered to their rooms by the servants. Adlem would wait for his area to be surrounded by boxes and for the servants to begin carrying them away. There was no security as there were no thieves in the castle... Well... There were. Experienced ones like Adlem frequently visited, but the risk of attending during such busy times was suicide.

That's it. The moment it was finally quiet. The royals never shut up, therefor it was a sign that Adlem was finally able to leave. There was a custom in the castle that boxes are not to be stacked atop one another as that would imply that one guest is greater than another. That was why when Adlem got out, all the boxes were evenly arranged in a clearing, each bearing the crest and initials of their owner. Adlem's box said PLII, whatever that meant and bared the crest of A horse in front of a gem. Adlem quickly stretched when he got off. It had been hours. The servants would probably be arriving soon, so he had no time to waste. The man put the lid of the box back on and... Wait. Who was that? Was she there all along?

Adlem watched as right in front of him stood a tall woman. Her body was slender and her neck was elongated, only adding to her height. Am Elf. These were a rare sight, but their existence was common knowlege. Despite that, it was Adlem's first time seeing one. She wore a green dress of beautiful pure silk, almost transparent enough to see the silhouette of the wearer had it been under sunlight. Clearly a dress for night banquets. The dress would be dragging behind her as she walked due to it's outstanding lenght. It was ornamented with platinum threads, which were the same colour as her shoulder-lenght hair, the threads were also paired with shiny pearls, as the female herself bore a pearlen marble crown on her head, as well as a staff of an elderwood branch with a huge white pearl on top. One never sees such big pearls in three lifetimes, let alone the single one of the slum boy that Adlem was. She seemed ever so young, just like all elves did, though she bore a crest on her neck as a necklace. It was a circle, inside of which was a constellation which branched like a tree. Adlem gulped as he stared into the elf, their expressions locked together awkwardly, as the only source of light was a lantern that hung above them. The elf's green eyes lacked pupils. They were instead polished like pearls, but despite their beauty and lack of direction, it felt like they were digging into his mind, undressing it of it's vale and judging his past. He had been caught. One word, and it would quickly be the end of him.