So this was the Capital!<br/><br/>Loud sounds. The clatter of hooves, people's feet, shouting of shopkeepers and the omnipresent voices, talking over each other, filled every single part of the square, forcing even the tiniest scraps of silence away. There was hardly a town as loud as this one in the entire country - it was nigh deafening for one not yet acquaintanced with the Capital to suddenly hear all those sounds.<br/>Strange smells. The sweaty bodies of people, animals, wood, steel, the food, being cooked in small shops around, or in the houses in the streets, was mixing with the somewhat fresh breeze, stench of mud and stone, washed by rain. An astonishing, if not somewhat disgusting mixture of different odors...<br/>Colorful images. The mosaic of the houses, the colors on the fabrics, pinned above street stands, every different piece of clothing that a passer-by could possibly wear. Blinding, weren't it all dulled by the dust in the air, as it often was in the poorer parts of the Capital.<br/><br/>Misao was amazed by this. Everything was completely different from the small village in which he grew up - more horses and carts passed by him in a minute than they did in his hometown during an entire week! His wide eyes were shimmering in the dim sunlight as he passed through the streets, hardly even keeping his mouth closed. Everything was new and wonderful for him. Here, on this place, he'll surely earn enough money to help both his father's forge and learn something new... It was a chance for a new, better life. Idyllic.<br/><br/>A couple of children, barefoot, dressed in rags, made their way through the crowds that filled the streets, and would have ran by, not noticing Misao, until one small girl stopped, and gazed at him with her large eyes. "Mister... Don't you have some money? I don't have money and I'm hungry... Please..." she asked him shyly. He gave her a kind smile and pulled out his pouch to pull out a small iron coin. "Go get something to-"<br/><br/>Before he'd finish talking, the pouch was gone, and so was the girl. The only thing the dumbfounded boy could do was stare at the couple of snickering kids, running away with his money.<br/><br/>So this was the Capital...<br/><br/>------<br/><br/>The couple of steps, clinking of metal and fabric, brushing against fabric, shattered the silence of the huge hall the Black General's intimidating figure found itself in. He passed through the door, guarded by a couple of tall and tough-looking guards without any signs of his confidence wavering. He was the Kingdom's fastest warrior, and among the seven most powerful... He could easily decapitate those guards, without even his sword being noticed unsheathed. The only reason someone like him was let into the Princess's presence was...<br/><br/>...That they trusted him.<br/><br/>Hisaki Naohiro Daisan no Shiroi Hana Adachi was not only from a noble family, but his lifetime of being a soldier to the King has proven him trustworthy enough.<br/><br/>"Your Majesty." he, the man of such adamant, unyielding pride, did something that rarely happened. His long black robes collapsed onto the floor in a multitude of folds as he got down onto his right knee, and bowed deeply.