Warm Welcome

The constant rattling of the carriage was nothing new, drilling the clicking noises that made the interior shake and gave her a headache. Gwen had to steer her head clear from bumping her forehead to the window, as she was waking up from her daily nap in the afternoon and stretched her arms above her head, rolling her sore shoulders back and forth.

They had gotten to Latimer in a day in a half as Cassian had predicted, but they arrived in the afternoon when the weather was best. Excitement gripped her heart when she glanced out the window to see them approaching the rural lands that were slowly becoming more urban.

The evening was chasing the sun with the wind fresh in her face, blowing through her flowing hair when she cracked the window open for ventilation earlier now that they were in safe territory.

Gwen sat back in her seat as Avery locked the circular window, and Gwen leaned her chin on her hand that was propped up against the carriage walls. Her hearing popped when she realized that there were other noises that were getting drowned out by the rattling of the wheels on the uneven cobblestone roads.

The cheering was immense, rattling her heart and making her warm. She peeked out the window slowly, not wanting to reveal her face, and covered her mouth in shock to see the streets flooded with people welcoming her with Latimer flags of their colors red, silver, and white along with flying banners.

She fell back into her seat breathless at the warm welcome, and Lauren placed a hand on her knee that was jittering nervously. Gwen crossed her legs and quickly fixed her hair, tossing one side over her shoulder to try and look poised.

Latimer was known to be isolated since it was located between the high seas and the treacherous mountain passes. However, contrary to what most would think, most of the days were full of sunshine and cotton clouds from what Riley had told her.

The weather was beautiful as they only got two seasons year-round which was practically only summer. The only difference was that there was a rainy season and a sunny season.

The carriage crossed into the estate hours ago through the large fertile fields of greenery full of produce. Many children came running after the carriage since they were marked in the Latimer colors. She waved at them, overjoyed with their simple smiles and adorable laughter, as the wind ruffled their hair and made the leaves of the branches sway.

Gwen had never lacked anything and looking at these children, made her realize that they never truly lacked anything truly important either beside the difference in living conditions whatever it may be. It was the greed of the nobles that set them apart from the commoners.

Otherwise, humans were all mirrors of one another. It was why she wanted to live a simple life in the future, not knowing what the true vision was, only that she wanted to have the freedom to do whatever she wanted in her own space with her own time.

Gwen finally peeked out once more to see the common folk toss pink roses along the path, and she was delighted at the warm welcome since pink roses meant a sense of happiness and comfort with a touch of light grace, and sweetness. It was an unwritten rule that flowers were for every occasion.

Avery rolled down the window, and Gwen was taken aback by the sheer volume. They were calling out her name, and she stuck out her head and waved to the commoners who were lining the streets leading up to the main house.

The buildings were tall with distinctive architectural features with many arches and columns that made up connections between the spaces. She covered her eyes with her hand since the sun was quite bright and grinned when she saw people frantically wave their banners in response when she made eye contact with them.

Gwen didn't know what the people thought of her since she didn't tend to go out to parties nor do any of the activities other nobles took up. She didn't want to claim that she was oh so different, and she silently laughed at the thought of the blatant claim that she was original since she wasn't. Gwen just didn't have the same interests and would rather not suck up to anyone for no other purpose than to look better for the crowds.

They were soon approaching the mansion that shouldn't even be classified as such since it was the size of a palace and was at least three times the size of hers back at home.

The mansion was built out of white blocks with many columns lining the structure. The steps leading up to the front doors were grand but luckily not a hike like the one she saw near the royal palace.

The carriage finally stopped right in front of the mansion, and Gwen swallowed, trying to reduce the anxiety that was eating her up inside. She steeled herself from the want to hide back in the carriage since she needed to be a dependable leader and not a coward.

She could see many servants bustling around, hauling large baskets of blankets and whatnot into the mansion. Soon, she would get used to calling this place her home.

The carriage door pulled open, and Gwen straightened her back, pushing away all of the worries and doubts. Lauren sent her a comforting look while Avery lightly pushed back the hair that was stuck in the neckline of her dress.

Silas extended his hand which Gwen quickly took, dragging the hat that was perched on her head slightly lower to hide her eyes that would have given her away that she was scared out of her mind. She took in the colonnade structure around her, and Silas dropped her hand after bowing to let her explore.

Gwen walked inside the enclosure with Laura and Avery by her side along with the rest of the knights that were her attendants on the arduous trip and was greeted by the rest of the staff. The courtyard was mainly in squares with stone tiles running intricate designs on the bottom of their feet that she was sure would look beautiful from above.