[HEADING=2]Chapter Two: Under Siege[/HEADING]
Dawn awakened briskly as the sun lit up the sky that had been darkened by the night's events.
Workers retired from a long night of work and labour, and their grand construct was beginning to take shape; large wooden poles and lumber, both scattered and directly placed in certain key places, creating a large circular shape.
It was the foundations of a Gladium, compliments of King Herald and his advisors.
The streets quickly filled up, with even more people coming; caravans and people on horseback strode into Herelden, filthy words upon their tongues and rumors of drought and dry land.
Merchants began shouting their prices, bards began their instrumental wibe and children scattered out of houses and began playing with swords and shields, most of all staring in awe at the grand construct that had proceeded them during the night.
Though the construct was a mere collectable of lumber and stone, the children's vivid imagination could already for-see the wonderous battles and heroic men fighting for honor and glory within.
Little drops of rain started trickling on the rooftops, and merchants quickly pulled up cloth to protect their goods.
The tiny little rain drops however were not merely enough to prevent the children their play, and they kept going without hesitation.
A grand eroma of food and wine came from some caravans, whilst from others bore silk garnets and steel platings, all to be sold at the merchant square.
Guards stopped their patrols to look into the sky and thank Gyia for the wonderous gift of water, and to curse Gaudan for percieving a drough upon others, but rain upon them.
The people coming in from the west, the ones complaining about the dry lands, quickly lost breath in awe and smiled as they felt the tiny trickles upon their cheeks.
It was a joyous moment indeed for some, and yet, for others not as such.
Rumors about schemes from the Slums reached everyone's ears like normally, but the situation with Tartungen bore new and revealing news upon everyone's ear, and such news traveled quickly by whispers and gossip, the story ever encasing itself with misunderstandings and lies, engulfing the news into stories and gossip within hours.
However, as the crowd came to a halt in the merchant square, the streets became less populated, as the civilians hailing from elsewhere were already in their place, and only the old and the young, both running and laughing, as well as limping or sobbing, roamed the streets like forever was now and life had no end.
During the night however, one poor soul, a monk of all things had wandered off into the market, browsing wares and selecting various smiles and gossip and returning.
Once nightfall came and dusk had fallen, Evela had found shelter with a preacher in the grand Chapel of Heren.
The Chapel of Heren is thought to bear legends hidden in its chambers regarding the very first Queen of Herelden, Heren was her name.
Her brothers had fallen in combat and she was left to accept the crown.
She wore it with dignity and honor, and yet, secrets linger within everyone and hers are said to wander the crypts and basements of the chapel.
Many a men and women come there to pray to Gyia, recieve her blessing, and it is also a very known place for women of high status, mostly old or over 40 winters, to come to the chapel and share news and pleasentries before they browse off at the market.
