Chapter Text
So far, Kitty's journey out into Walesland had been full of up-downs. Before she'd even left Bannerfall she'd experienced her very first down, which was that Owain was still viscerally terrified of the place and could barely stomach her leaving. It had taken a lot of subtle affection before he'd been ready to let her go in the first place.
She felt a little bad, stressing him out so much, but they both agreed it wasn't fair of him to make her avoid a perfectly nice kingdom in her own journey. So Kitty had set off, and for the most part the rest of the journey had been ups with very minors downs. Until now, that is.
Up when she got gifted some warm bread by a nice baker, a small down when she dropped half of it in a river by accident. Up when she found a pretty rock Katie would appreciate, down when she got attacked by creaking husks.
Up when she was saved, very very big down when she ended up in the Capital of Walesland as a result, side by side with one of the knights that had exiled her Lion.
The stone bricks of their streets were warm against her feet, familiar and yet so foreign at the same time. Red kingdom only had stone paths in the main square, preferring packed dirt underneath their feet. Blue kingdom's paths were inlaid with shards of prismarine, cool and smooth even on their hottest days. In Walesland the heat was left to trap itself in the stones, surely painful for anyone who didn't find themselves fortunate enough to purchase shoes. Kitty wondered, with distaste, if it was a detail meant to keep poorer citizens off the market streets.
Ahead of her, Sir Galahad parted an easy path through the streets, waving amicably at the citizens they passed. A few of the waved back, but most of them seemed preoccupied with their vending or the barely beginning festivities of their annual holiday. He led her towards an uphill branch in the main road, that led up towards the walls of the castle.
Walesland was insanely large in comparison to the kingdoms of Bannerfall, even as they'd begun to expand again. Graecie had once told kit that Blue and Red had a combined population somewhere around 2000 0r 2500 people, before the battle that raged just before kits arrival. Walesland probably had over triple that just in their capital. Kitty was rather overwhelmed.
Kitty scurried closer to the knight's side, glancing around at the city with trepidation. "This is quite a lot more people than I am used to… Is it always this crowded?"
Galahad hummed. "I suppose. There's quite a few more people about for the festival than there is usually, but not by much. It's been nearly a decade, but the people still celebrate the life of our former king, and the event remains one of our most honored."
Kitty blinked in surprise, tilting her head to glance at Galahad's face in front of her. "A decade ago… This is a celebration for King Arthur?"
Galahad glanced back. "Yes? I'm surprised you weren't aware of that, if you know about him. The two are mentioned quite often in relation."
Kitty glanced away awkwardly. "Oh, yes." What was he supposed to say to that? Owain had been very clear in what he could give away. Kitty had a false backstory sure, a subversion of the truth with the knowledge that knights of Walesland likely wouldn't believe he'd been a cat, but he didn't want to use it to explain such small things.
"My… formal education only began a little over a year ago, and my tutor wasn't very well versed in recent history. Neither of them, in fact." The parcel elf tried his best, but recent history for him could be anywhere from the week before to four centuries ago.
Luckily for Kitty, the other knight just hummed in consideration and focused back on the palace. Now, so long as she could get through this journey without needing to mention much about her place in Bannerfall or her Lion, keep the attention on Walesland, she might be alright.
"So, what happens during this festival anyhow?"
"Ah!" Galahad brightened, falling back into step beside Kitty as they began the trek up towards the gate. "Well, quite a bit actually. The festival itself is 5 days long, with two rest days to set it up. There's lots of different events throughout the city you can attend, because the citizens are encouraged to organize their own alongside the ones hosted by the King. The best, in my opinion, is the music preformed in the plaza. Many of my companions are fond of the fighting contests. Perhaps you could try signing up."
Kitty's ears twitched, interest clear in her form. "Perhaps." It would be nice to test out Owain's gift to her in more casual combat. The short sword was beautiful, custom designed all the way from the pommel to the point. From the length cut off of her old yellow scarf and tied into the hilt, to the engraving of a leaping cat on the base of the blade. A gift especially designed for her.
A proposal gift, technically. Not that they were planning to marry in any traditional sense.