Further Beyond: Ascension

Sabatsday, 1st of Septimus, 470th Year of the Fifth Era

Serena and her husband were quickly ushered by the man – who had introduced himself as Robert, her uncle's steward – into a large carriage, pulled by two large horses. However, when her husband saw that only two carriages were prepared, he refused to take it, saying that he'd rather ride Biar with his men.

Instead, he suggested that the women and children be allowed to ride on the carriage. Serena agreed with Josias' suggestion and Sir Robert made no attempt to contradict them. He even praised Josias, calling him a chivalrous prince.

When Serena asked about their items and belongings, as well as the costs of transport, Sir Robert waved away her concerns.

"You shall not be of any want in the care of His Excellency, milady." Sir Robert said as he showed her into the carriage "We have all the preparations to transport all your items to the count's mansion. It isn't terribly far from here, but we will still make sure that the ride will be of utmost comfort for you and your ladies-in-waiting."

That was another term she hadn't known. But still, Serena appreciated that the steward didn't consider her friends as servants. Perhaps it was due to their clothing and ornate jewelry which she had prepared. Or maybe they just had that 'air of nobility' to them. Whatever the case, Serena took the steward's hand as he helped her into the carriage.

The carriage was rather spacious. Not that she'd ever been in one before, but she was familiar with the concept. By her reckoning, it could fit six people in it comfortably. The seats were properly cushioned and the roof of the coach properly shielded Serena from the midday sun.

Following her inside the carriage were her two adorable wards, Tiur and Tigor, Helena, and Maria. After they got on, Sir Robert also followed inside. With a signal from Sir Robert, the coach started to move towards their destination.

"By the way, Sir Robert, if you don't mind me asking, how were you able to find us so quickly?" Serena asked.

"Oh, why that's a simple matter, milady. I just didn't think anyone else would be bringing armored tigers with them to port." The man's answer elicited a laugh from Serena.

The tigers were indeed quite conspicuous. Even now, as she looked out the carriage window, she could see plenty of people on the streets gawking at her husband and his companions. It was obvious they'd never seen a beast like that ever before.

While they were laughing, Sir Robert asked them, "If I may have the pleasure of knowing the names of these other refined young ladies?"

"Oh, how rude of us. This is Lady Helena Sinatua, a daughter of my mother's younger brother. The other is Lady Maria Sigumogo, my husband's cousin." Serena introduced her friends.

"Ah, such splendid names. Lady Maria's surname is the same as the Prince's so I assume you are also related to the late Swordsaint of the Halaklands?"

"Yes, I am King Parhal's granddaughter. My father is his second child…" Maria answered "It surprises me that Sir Robert knows of my late grandfather. Even when we're this far away from our homeland."

"Even our own king is aware of your late-grandfather's reputation. The number of swordsaints throughout the entire world is small enough as it is. It would be strange for us to not know of him. Lady Serena's father has done a marvelous job of keeping us informed of the news from your lands."

Serena smiled as it appeared even people from this mighty kingdom had a modicum of respect for her husband's grandfather. If not for the people as a whole, then at least their legendary swordsaint. But what Sir Robert said after was the most surprising.

"Among the nobility, the late swordsaint's tale is quite popular actually." Sir Robert's smile was ever unchanging "The royal court is particularly partial to the story of 'Parhal the Wise', the noble king and champion of protestantism among the heathens. It's part of the reason why the royal court is very supportive of all the missionary work your father does."

"It gladdens me to hear that, Sir Robert." Maria said.

"Indeed. And if I may ask for the names of this little lady and little lord?"

"Now, now little ones. What do I always teach you two about respect? Introduce yourself to the nice man." Serena encouraged the two little children.

"Uh, I'm Tigor Hamonangan Sigumogo, pleased to meet you." The four year old boy said, a little more shy than usual.

"I'm Tiur Nataruli Sigumogo, pleased to meet you." The little girl jumped down from her seat and did a cute little curtsy. Something Serena had taught her from what little she knew of western etiquette."

"My, such well-mannered young children. And they speak Feldonian, as well. Utterly amazing."

"My father and his missionaries have made education of the children as one of their priorities." Serena explained "Though it's mostly the children of the great clans, efforts have been made to educate all the children of Goria in general."

"Simply amazing. Oh! And if I may ask…" Sir Robert's smile grew slightly wry "Are Tiur and Tigor your and the prince's…?"

Serena laughed as she heard the man's question. Though, she couldn't blame him. With how much she and her husband have been taking care of the two, they practically were their children. Before Serena could explain, Maria was the one to answer.

"No, though Serena and my brother Josias have been taking very good care of the children, they are my younger siblings."

"Ah, I see. Well, regardless, they are still members of the late-swordsaint's family, as such, they will be afforded proper care by the Lord Count as well."

Serena nodded her head. She was thankful that it seemed her uncle was set on taking care of their needs. In some senses, she felt quite bad essentially freeloading off her relatives. If the opportunity presents itself, she'd do what she can to earn her keep.

Throughout the journey, Tiur and Tigor looked out the stagecoach window with awestruck faces. The two children marvelled at the paved streets and the sheer amount of people walking on them.

The naturally curious children spared not a single question about anything and everything that caught their interest. Sir Robert patiently and happily indulged in the little ones' curiosities. Serena was impressed by the older man's breadth of knowledge. The answers he gave were both informative and easy for the children to digest. Even Serena learned a lot from his answers.

"There's so many people in this city. There must be thousands of people just walking down the street!" Tiur said excitedly "I see other 'cah-ridges' there too. They have different emblems, though, so I'm guessing they're from different clans. Ours here is a wolf."

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"My, the young Lady Sigumogo is truly a bright child. It's amazing." Sir Robert laughed as he shook his head. Tiur was indeed one of the smartest children Serena knew.

There was something about the Sigumogo women that they were so talented. Josias' own younger sister Julia with her freakishly good accuracy. Tiur with her aptitude towards scholarly things and learning in general. Even Maria was exceptionally talented in the arts like painting and music.

"Mister Robert, how many people live in this city? It's so big I could guess maybe a million people?" Tiur said as she scratched her chin and tilted her head towards Sir Robert.

"My, young lady, do you even know what a million is?" Sir Robert raised an eyebrow as he asked.

"Of course. It's a thousand times a thousand. Meaning I have to count a thousand people a thousand times." Tiur replied confidently to the older man's bewilderment. It was the first time Serena saw an expression besides a smile on the man's face.

"Absolutely incredible… But to answer your question, the last I heard of our city, there was somewhere just below that number." Sir Robert quickly recollected himself and answered. "After all, our beloved capital is among the largest cities on the continent."

Tiur continued making astute observations and Sir Robert continued being impressed. Helena and Maria were already used to it. It was then Serena noticed Tigor was pouting while looking out the window.

"What's wrong, little warrior?" Serena asked as she pinched the boy's chubby cheeks.

"...Why does kak Tiur keep using hard words… I can't understand it." Tigor sulked.

"Maybe if you learned more, you'd know more, Tigor." The little girl answered.

"Learning is hard! And boring. I wanna fight! Be a hero! Like bang Josi."

"Then keep being stupid, I guess." Tiur rolled her eyes.

"I'm not stupid!!" Tigor looked like he was about to tackle his sister, luckily Serena pulled him back.

"Hey! Hey! You two stop this right now." Serena slightly raised her voice at the two children. "Tigor, you don't hit other people! Not especially your own sister! Boys don't hurt girls like that."

"Yea, you heard her, bleh." The little girl continued provoking her younger brother, sticking out her tongue, mocking him.

"And you, young lady!" Serena turned towards Tiur and started "I don't care how smart you are, you don't put other people to shame like that. Not especially if it's your own baby brother. Look at your Bang Timo and Kak Maria, they love each other as siblings should."

"Alai na oto do itokkon, kak! (But my brother is stupid!)"

"HEH! Molo songoni babami tongtong, hubahen ma sambal tu babam! (If you're gonna keep doing that, I'll wipe your mouth with spices!) Little girls are supposed to be nice. You are a nice girl, not a bad one. Now apologise to your brother!"

Tiur crossed her arms and looked adamant on not apologising. Serena was about to scold her some more but decided against it as she saw Sir Robert's bemused face. Serena gave an apologetic bow to the steward.

"I'm sorry for their behaviour, Sir Robert." Maria said as she apologised before Serena could say anything "My younger siblings, they've been through some rough times. They weren't properly raised by our parents and there have been issues going on with our family, so…"

"Oh, please, Lady Maria, it's not an issue at all." Sir Robert smiled "These children are still far more well-behaved than the monsters-... children, some of our nobility raise. In fact, I'm actually a little relieved the young Lady Tiur still has normal childlike qualities."

"Thank you for your understanding, Sir Robert." Serena bowed before looking back to Tiur "Now you see? You've embarrassed me in front of Sir Robert. And you still haven't apologised. Maybe I should tell this to Bang Timo and Bang Josi."

As soon as she threatened to tell on her to her older brothers, the little girls' eyes widened. She was reluctant at first, but eventually "I apologize, ito (brother). I'm not going to call you stupid anymore… But you should still learn more."

Serena rolled her eyes. The little girl always had to have the final say. But it was better than nothing.

"Alright, you see, Tigor. Your sister apologised. Now you two hug it out. And mean it."

Though they were reluctant, the two small children did finally hug. Serena breathed a sigh of relief. If only it were always that easy, even between adults.

"Serena is far better suited to motherhood than any of us." Helena commented.

"I agree. The little ones are my own flesh and blood, yet embarrassingly, they listen to her more than me." Maria shook her head and sighed.

"That's not true. They still listen to you, Maria. It's only because of petty politics the children were sent to live with me and Josi instead of you and bang Jojo." Serena said.

And it was true. The reason the children were entrusted to her and her husband was because they were considered to be of the Sigumogo clan. In the eyes of the adat (traditions), Maria was now a Sinatua and bang Timo was unmarried, therefore not a full man.

"Lady Serena's countenance as well as her care for the young remind me far too much of the Reverend Archbishop." Sir Robert said "He would always be the voice of reason between all his siblings. The younger ones always listened to him more than they did even the Lord Count, despite him being the eldest."

"You personally knew my father, Sir Robert?" Serena asked.

"Oh, of course. I have been serving your family for over four decades, but even before that, I was born and raised alongside the Rappmeister family. My family have been loyal retainers to your house since the time of your great-great-great grandfather."

"Well, that's also something I've always been curious about. My father said he grew up in the Reich, but he never told me the details of how my uncle ended up a noble in Feldonia."

Serena truly was curious. Her father would make offhanded comments once in a while, but would mostly just say, 'It was the machinations of the politics at the time.' Answers that left much to be desired. And it looked like she found the perfect person to ask, short of asking her uncle directly.

"You see, that is quite the interesting tale." Sir Robert chuckled "Would you like me to start on the noble origins of the Rappmeister family, or would you want me to go straight to the events of the Reicher war?"

"I want to hear all of it."

"Oh, hahahaha! Now that's a tall order, milady. But, for the purposes of your question, it started during the Reicher war almost three decades ago. That was when-... You know, I do believe your uncle should tell you this story himself. I'm sure he'd want for nothing more than to regale you with all his old war stories."

Serena felt a little disappointed, but it was understandable. Hearing it directly from her uncle would be best.

"Besides, it wouldn't be too long before that anyways. Time indeed flies when I'm having such wonderful conversations. I almost didn't realise that we'd arrived at the Lord Count's mansion."

As the steward said that, Serena noticed that the carriage had already passed through a gate. The carriage made its way into the forecourt of a large reddish stone mansion. Well at least a mansion was what Sir Robert called it. It looked far larger than any house Serena had been in before. It made her reluctant to even compare the various king's halls of the Halaklands.

In front of the doors to the mansion, Serena could see a tall man wearing glasses with white hair standing with his hands behind his back. He stood tall and proud, but most of all, it was shocking how much he looked like her father. Next to him was an older woman, holding his arm while fanning herself with a blue lace fan that matched her blue velvet gown.

"It would seem that the Lord Count and Countess have been eagerly waiting for us." Sir Robert said.

When he said that, Serena had already felt her heart rate increase exponentially. Her uncle had been waiting.