(BEST VIEWED FULL SIZE!) Aranée had made a point of exploring at least one new area or town in the Aeritan or Disputed Lands every season. This knowledge was invaluable for a hunter and nomadic woodsman, and her knowledge of her own lands was extensive. But nothing in her experience could have prepared her for this. She had never seen so many people in one place. People in her homelands were suspicious of strangers, but the people here were curious and friendly. The fear that permeated the Disputed Lands was almost unseen here. Here they were almost universally ... happy. Every person she saw seemed busy and moved with a purpose. To Aranée's consternation - and Galen's amusement - she occasionally attracted a crowd. Elves were evidently nearly as rare here as in the Aeritan. People were also fascinated with her practical woodsman's outfit - she noted that none of the women here wore trousers or carried weapons. And then of course, there was Kuila - a Packran lion cub was definitely a curiosity, especially for the children. The area just outside of town consisted of carefully tended farm fields, full of workers busily bringing in the final harvest before the winter season. A substantial wall and gate surrounded the city proper, but though they were in good repair, they looked as if they had not actually been used for defense in a very long time. Inside the outer walls, the town was a welter of stone buildings connected by narrow cobbled streets. Aranée and Galen rode to the very center of the town where a magnificent walled castle arose, also in good repair. Everything in the town looked to be freshly scrubbed or recently painted. Galen rode up to the partially open portcullis, and was instantly recognized and waved through by the sentry. In the castle bailey, a curious mix of genteel people in courtly dress intermingled with heavily armed no-nonsense soldiers. Part of the area in the enormous keep was taken up with blacksmithing and other services of one kind or the other. The rest appeared to be training areas and bunkhouses for the soldiers. By the time they tied up their horses, Aranée was anxious to meet Lord Jobil. It was abundantly clear that he was an effective leader - he clearly knew how to lead his people. --- TO BE CONTINUED! View the series in numbered sequence to get the entire story. My apologies for Aranée fans for having to wait so long for another installment. I'm not really happy with this one, but it was all I could do for the moment and I did want to advance the story. I've been having hardware issues, Daz Studio (both 2 AND 3) would repeatedly crater trying to render this simple scene, my 11 year old broke his ankle, and the 19 year old - is being a 19 year old LOL. Anyway, I hope to get back on track in the next week or so... PLEASE leave a comment, praise, advice or constructive criticism. Your words mean a great deal to me and give me the energy to keep going... Image and story © 2009 by Larry Hodge