"You'll be safe, Aston. As well as civil. The Royal Princess is expecting diplomacy, and we shall deliver." Queen Nefite adds, "Convince her why marriage is her best option to save her kingdom from peril."
"Mother is there a reason I can't go?" The prince stands behind her, his blonde hair wisping down to his chin. "I mean, I am the one getting engaged, am I not?"
"Because my son, I need you here. You know that, Shilo." The Queen walks closer to me and hands me a scroll, barely the size of a pen. "This one is a personal delivery. For your mother. Do not open it, let her do the honors."
I nod as the carriage pulls forward to take me to Dalgonia. I wave goodbye as we set off, placing the scroll in my jacket pocket for safety. Shilo looks annoyed, but it's hard to tell whether more or less than the usual level of boredness he exudes.
     After a while on the road I realize it's getting dark and decide to sleep until we arrive in the morning. According to the Queen it's a day's long ride. By the time I wake up we should be arriving at the golden castle that is the Dalgonian Palace.

The following morning
     I wake to a particularly large bump in the road, and I come to realize it is a log in the road. I groggily glance up at the driver and notice he is already trying to move the log on his own. It is a fallen tree, far more than two men alone could lift. I open the door to go help him.
     "Sir, I apologize if I've woken you!" He says carefully, as if trained to do so.
     "Please, don't worry. We have to be close anyway..." I allow the sentence to trail off as I spy the kingdom in the distance. The golden castle placed perfectly upon a hill, looking over the ocean. No wonder the Queen is trying to marry her son into the kingdom. Not that Shilo deserves it, especially in all its beauty. The only thing he has done to work for his title is share blood with his father.
     "It is beautiful, is it not?" The man says, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
     "Wow... it's so..."
     He asks with a smile, "Different?"
     I nod in awe, unable to speak. I can almost smell the air clearer, feel the energy radiating off of the incredible landscape. I hear the clipping of horses getting closer and closer, as if to draw me in. I knew Dalgonia was known as the "golden kingdom", but never knew why. I always assumed it was for its riches and resources; but no. It's more than that.
     "You must be Aston."
     I look up from my daze to see that the sound of horses was real, and standing before me was a white stallion with a female rider. She hops down from the horse, allowing her skirt to flow freely in the breeze. Her long brown hair accented by her blue eyes. A man behind her announces, "Princess Elara of Dalgonia, her Royal regency in term of her late father, King Pretter III."
     I stare at her for a moment before getting on one knee to bow. "Your grace. It's a pleasure."
I look over to see that my driver is already at her feet, nearly kissing them.
     "Please, rise. There is no necessity for such formalities here." She smiles while helping the old man to his feet. His grateful blush makes my day. It's as if this kingdom is the embodiment of good; something that Queen Nefite hasn't been able to achieve in Varasia. Something that, even if it killed me, I want to be a part of.