21 Castle Von Ritter

The group rode the Vorbei Pferds northwest for an hour and a half before they reached the outskirts of the city that was built around the Castle Von Ritter, Von Ritter City. It was a large city by Vorbei standards with a population of about 100,000 people. Most of the Vorbei Kingdom was very rural with a lot of farmland, and most of the cities that did exist in the country were relatively small compared to Earth's biggest cities. Von Ritter City was the third largest city in the Vorbei Kingdom by population. There was a small navigable river known as the Ritter River that was a tributary river to the Strom running right alongside the city. The city had walls made of grey stones held together with mortar built around it about seven and a half meters in height, and two and a half meters thick, with the Castle Von Ritter itself acting like a citadel at the center of the city. There was a lot of farmland surrounding the city, and the walls had several gates with gatehouses for roads leading inside of it. The places where the gatehouses were were thicker than the other sections of the walls with towers on either side of each gatehouse. At the front of each gatehouse was a pair of solid oak double doors with a portcullis immediately behind it. At the back of each gatehouse was a second portcullis. There was no way to enter the city except by going through one of the gatehouses. Each gatehouse was manned by guards who wore chainmail armor and had spears and kite shields that they wielded. They wore leather boots and had nasal helmets on their heads. When the group got to one of the gatehouses at the city walls, the guards who were manning the gatehouse immediately recognized Mia greeted her.

[I guess that Mia is an easily recognized person in her family's territory.] Ethan thought as he saw the guard greeting her.

"Welcome home, my lady." Said the guard to her.

"Thank you. Could you open the gate and let my party through?" Asked Mia.

"Yes, of course my lady." Said the guard as the two portcullises opened.

[This would be a very well defended city for the medieval period.] Thought Ethan as they passes through the gatehouse.

Once inside, Ethan saw many houses close together, and on the streets, there was an open-air market with many artisans and craftspeople in small booths and stalls selling their wares. There were blacksmiths selling forged steel weapons and armor as well as farming tools and cast iron cookware. Near them, there were potters selling clay pottery. Also in the market, there were weavers selling wool and hemp fabric, as well as pre-tailored clothing. Millers were selling flower. Bakers were selling bread. Brewers were selling beer. There were jewelers selling silver and gold jewelry, some of which had brilliant gems embedded on them. Ethan even saw a few foreign looking merchants selling spices, silk, and porcelain. Surrounding all of these vendors were crowds of people haggling and negotiating with the vendors.

"Von Ritter City is one of the biggest areas of trade in the nation. Ships can go through the Ritter River to the Strom and then out to sea, and vice versa. International buyers and sellers come and go here frequently, and citizens of Vorbei often come from many kilometers away to go to this market to conduct business here. It is a place where merchants gather because it is easy to get to, as well as being a safe area, protected by walls, and guarded by the Duke's own knights who can prevent attacks by bandits and settle disputes between people." Said Friedrich.

"And on all of that business, on every good that enters and leaves the city gates, who do you think has the power to tax it? Duke Augustus Von Ritter, himself. This market is one of the reasons why the Von Ritters are so wealthy. Everyone that enters or leaves the city gates is thoroughly inspected for any marketable goods. On any goods that they have with them, they will have to pay a tax." Said Hans.

"But, we weren't inspected. The guards just waved us through." Said Ethan.

"That's because we're with Mia." Said Hans.

"Duke Von Ritter isn't going to have the guards inspect his daughter, or her companions traveling with her." Said Friedrich.

"That makes sense, I guess." Said Ethan as the group rode toward the castle at the city center.

Once they got to the city center, they got to where the castle was. Surrounding the castle was a deep moat with a tunnel dug from the moat to the Ritter River outside of the city where the water was being drawn for the moat. Behind the moat there was a layer of walls made of white stones that were almost as smooth as glass and that fit together so well that it was difficult for Ethan to tell where one stone stopped and another began, but that were not the walls for the castle itself, but rather a layer of walls surrounding the castle walls. They were at least a meter higher than the city walls, and half a meter thicker. There was only one gatehouse for these walls with a drawbridge in front of it going over the moat. After the group went over this drawbridge and got through the gatehouse, they got to a grassy area, the center of which was the Castle Von Ritter. The Castle Von Ritter was just as majestic as Friedrich had described it. It was almost big enough to be considered a palace, but it definitely had some serious fortifications on it. It was built for both luxury and defense. Its walls for the building were made of same white stones that the walls surrounding it were made of. There was only one door, and it small and was made of solid steel. There were practically no windows on the first floor, but on the upper floors, Ethan saw beautiful stained glass windows that were no doubt the work of skilled artisans, and matched the level of craftsmanship that some cathedrals had on Earth. Near the castle was a stable where the group put their horses. The group then went to the door of the castle, and a guard, bowing to Mia, opened the door for them. When they went inside, they were in a massive room on the first floor which Ethan assumed was the main hall.

There was a big wood burning fireplace in the back, and colorful tapestries depicting battles covered the walls. This was where Mia's father, the Duke Von Ritter, was waiting for them in a massive oak chair with silk lining it and the crest of the Von Ritter Family sewn into the back of the chair in gold thread. Augustus Von Ritter was wearing luxurious silk robes, but it was clear by his physique that he could fight. He was practically a giant of a man, being at least 205 cm in height with a bulky, muscular build. He had hair, the same shade of blond that Mia had and he had a mustache, a beard, and sideburns. There was a big scar across his unshaven face that appeared to be an old battle wound. Ethan could just barely make out calluses on his hands that would come from gripping a sword. The most distinctive thing about him that Ethan noticed was his bright blue glow of mana. He had at least twelve standard mana units in him, which was significantly more than either Ethan or Mia who only had ten, and it was four times more than the average person in this world who only had three.

"Welcome home, Mia." He said warmly to his daughter.

"Thank you, Father." said Mia.

"And I see that you've brought guests with you?" He said, while glancing suspiciously at Ethan and Johan.