The sun was hanging overhead as Minirtha made it to the top of the hill that the cobblestones of the Capital Road had led her up. She looked down and saw at the bottom was a well for the public. She checked her water supply and saw it low. Looking across at the hill opposite, she saw the gates and walls of Obstanus, the capital city of the land of Hyperal. The large stone walls hid from the outside whatever lay within. Minirtha had never been to the land before but had to tend to business. Being so close to her destination for the day, she decided she could afford a few minutes to stop at the well to drink and refill her water skin. The day had been hot, and her bare torso shined with the sweat of the last few miles. Besides, it did not appear to be busy at the moment, as there were only four other people down there. She headed down towards it.
She stood by the well, dunking the gourd in and drinking directly from it. The cool water felt great in her parched mouth. She dipped in for another and looked around as she sipped her second drink. On a bench beside the well sat two women carrying cloth sacks full of all they owned, completely naked other than a ribbon of red silk tied around their necks in a bow. From her travels in neighboring lands, Minirtha knew this to be the symbol of prostitutes, no doubt looking for travelers out of the city to take them along in search of better conditions and newer clients. She did not glance at either long, as neither were her type. All they did were return her to the memories of the night before and the threesome with Phator and Ezxa. Behind the bench, on the ground and leaning against a tree, an old man lay snoring away, seemingly deep in sleep. He was dressed in a gray robe covered in strange symbols that gave him the appearance of being some type of priest. MInertha could see that though he seemed asleep, his eyelids were open enough to allow him to stare at the two naked prostitutes in front of him, his hands placed in a way over his crotch to conceal his erection. Not such a holy man after all, she thought to herself.
As MInirtha removed her water skin from her belt and opened it to fill, she was approached by a man who had been standing several yards away. She was pouring the water from the gourd when she noticed him walking in her direction. She looked him over carefully to assess him, something she often did when approached. He was tall, standing eye-to-eye with Minirtha with the same lean but muscular build as her. She could not see how muscular though, as much of his torso was concealed with the gray tunic he wore. That was all he was clad in and he carried nothing. He had long black hair and tan skin. Minirtha could tell he was looking at her with a bit of lust in his heart, but she was used to this since she walked around practically naked in her loincloth. He stood on the opposite side of the well, picking up the other gourd and getting a drink for himself as Minirtha finished filling her water skin and dipped for one more drink for herself before setting off.
"Traveled far," she heard the man ask, looking right at her. She did not speak, but nodded her head as she took the first sip from her gourd.
"Do you have business in Obstanus," he continued on. Again, she did not offer an oral response, nodding as she drank. This time some of the water spilled onto her body, feeling good as it landed on her bare breasts and ran down along her abs that were outlined in her tanned skin. It was nice as the hot sun still bared down on her naked flesh.
"Not much of a talker, are you," he kept on as she placed her gourd back and set off from the well to climb the hill to the city gates. He attempted to follow her, but found himself cut off by the two prostitutes who got up from the bench to ask if he was looking to leave Obstanus and gain traveling companions. As he answered no to both questions and looked up, he could see that Minirtha had almost reached the gates. He looked at the guards standing by, as if he did not want to confront them. He instead retreated back to the place he stood before confronting Minirtha, obviously deep in thought.
The guards at the gate stopped the redheaded woman, asking who she was and where she came from. Minirtha gave them her name and that she was from the land of Carg. She was allowed to enter the gate right then. The warrior had planned that they would want to ask her questions since she was carrying weapons, but this was not the case. Odd to her as this is what she faced in most of the other walled cities she visited, but the people she had been hired by for this important job said that inside the city there were enough guards and lawmen that any trouble would be quashed in no time. She walked some time before looking over towards the shops and merchants set up in the alleyways. She smelled one of them cooking fresh venison and went over, buying herself a steak for lunch. She sat down on the ground nearby, eating near others engaging in business. A cup of ale was provided for her to wash the steak down with and Minirtha took the opportunity to ask the man who brought it where the Queen's palace was. He gave her directions and, her meal finished, she set off in that direction.
She got a view of the capital city as she headed towards her destination and audience with the Queen. It was obvious that this was quite the clean place to live, as there was no real filth or waste along the streets, unlike some of the other lands she traveled in. Looking around, it seemed the people here were quite prosperous, something she had noticed during her travels in Hyperal. She had heard rumors that the land was ruled by a fair and noble monarch, who cared deeply for her subjects and country and had led them to this way of life. The wealth of the nation was evident when she saw the marble white palace, home to the Queen and the heart of the kingdom. She approached, confused when she saw the giant bronze doors were closed off. Looking around, she approached the first person she saw to find out what was happening.
"Good man," she asked as she got his attention, "perhaps you can offer assistance. I seek an audience with the Queen, but it appears the doors to the palace are closed. I am confused as I have been told that Her Majesty will hold court until sundown each day. Could you tell me if I have been misinformed?"
"No you are correct about the Queen holding audience," he said in reply. "But if you look over to the two poles on either side of the door, you will see them empty. When the Queen is in the palace, there is a royal standard that hangs from each. They are not out, so she is not here."
"Have you any idea where she is and when she will return?"
"I do not concern myself with those matters, so I cannot answer you."
Minirtha looked at the palace again and saw guards around it. Even though the Queen was not it, odds are the kingdom's treasury was somewhere in the massive structure. That meant it was always guarded. She thought about where to find information and asked the helpful stranger.
"Would the guards at the palace be able to offer assistance?"
