The rest of the journey was insipid with no real change in scenery or anything eventful. The road to Callien was a major trade route and as such it heavily guarded. We passed multiple pairs of patrolling guards almost every day. I grew more and more envious with every horse I saw. Our trip would be much faster with even the smallest and weakest of horses even if I didn't know how to ride one.
The large city of Callien came into view as we passed the windy dirt road and exited the woods after a whole week of travel. It was the largest city in the Dutchy and easily the largest settlement I have seen. Especially since it is the only settlement outside of Esting I had ever visited. The city was built right next to a river that cut it into three separate pieces. The City was in the Shape of an F with Furthest side the Northeastern side being the one with the Lords keep. It was so large that even at the great distance our group was at we could see peaks of the towers. The south eastern side was the mercantile district and the nobility district when the richest of the citizens called home. It was the richest area of the city where wealthy Nobels or freemen would squander their generational or self built wealth on houses that slightly one upped their neighbors. The stores there sold the most amount of high quality goods available in the whole duchy. After that there was the largest side the western side. It was where all lower-class people lived that could still afford to live in a walled settlement. Every district was leagues above our small village in terms of looks and comfortability but with the current amount of travelers it looked more like a circus with all the tents pithed beneath the walls than a real city.
We approached the city passing the outlying hamlets of small scale farms and groupings of well built homes and crossed over a small stone bridge that was seemingly built more for looks Than purpose as the stream it crossed was hardly an obstacle. Further past the bridge we entered into a long line of travelers all waiting to enter the city. The line was longs and very slow moving but thankfully it was still only barely mid day with plenty of sun left in the sky. At the front of the line by the main gate was a large wooden table where a rather large and very well fed man was sitting recordings notes down on papers with ink and quill. He was protected on both sides by men armed with spears and shields. The checkered Red and white coat of arms covered the dull grey of the chainmail that protected their bodies. With nothing left to do besides wait I took out the book Lydia had given me and read while the rest of the group chatted amongst each other.
After maybe three hours of waiting we made it to the front of the line. We stood in front of the fat man I had spotted earlier. His attire was very extravagant with many inlaid jewels and gold marking him out clearly as a Nobel or merchant.
"Names and place of residence" He went straight to the point with a rather annoyed tone. Marcus being the one at the head of the group was the one to answer for us. "Marcus, Edwin, Lydia, and Alexander. The village of Esting." Marcus returned the tone in kind. I was staring at the guards admiring their armor while Marcus answered the rest of the questions. On of the guards noticed my gazed and turned to his comrade on the other side of the Nobel and whispered something inaudible to me. The both began to chuckle I looked away sensing what every the joke was it was certainly directed at me. "Next!" the Nobel waved us away as if we were flies and we didn't object.
The gate we passed towered over me like a colossus next to an ant. We emerged from underneath the gate onto a packed main road and parted from the other members of our group. The city was obviously vibrants and busy with merchants rushing to set up their stalls, circus acts rehearsing their acts, and awed travels like us taking in the sights we were unaccustomed to. By now the sun had begin to ever so slowly set so we began to look for lodging. With how busy it is I would be surprised if we could even find to sleep within the city.
As if hoping to prove me wrong Edwin brought us a some hole in the wall in where he got us two rooms one for him one for us. We unpacked our small amount of belongings and went to kitchen below to get dinner. We all had simple meals before going back to our rooms. Marcus and Edwin went out to meet some old friends or something like that leaving just me and Lydia.
"late Tomorrow is when the celebrations begin. They won't end until the end of the week. Me and Marcus have something we do every year on the first day of the holiday so you will be left with Edwin. Do anything he says and do not leave his side if you get separated come back to the room do not wonder. Understood?" This was the first time Lydia used any tone of commanding in her voice which was unexpected but I had no intention of wondering off or doing something stupid in a place I know nothing about. "Understood." With that we both went to bed.