Flying through the clouds was an entirely new sensation for Riven, who had only ever admired them from the ground before.
Sitting inside the luxurious Pegasus carriage opposite Duke Drew Dawnriver, he found himself quietly staring through the wide crystal windows as endless blankets of white drifted past them, while the sprawling forests, winding rivers, and distant villages far below appeared no larger than tiny specks scattered across the landscape.
’Woah.... The Earth looks strangely beautiful from the skies.’
Riven thought, as despite his conditioning repeatedly insisting that he belonged amongst such wealth, the experience still felt strangely surreal.
The carriage itself was unlike anything he had ever imagined.
Its walls were carved from polished whitewood before being painstakingly inlaid with intricate patterns of gold, while every panel had been hand-painted with breathtaking depictions of mythical figures from ancient history.
The Flame God Vael’Thar stood proudly upon one wall, engulfed within an ocean of crimson fire, while upon another, the Storm God Surthur commanded the heavens themselves as lightning split the skies around him.
’How much does a carriage like this cost?’
Riven wondered, as even without the precious metals decorating every corner of the carriage, commissioning artwork of such astonishing quality would have cost more wealth than the entire Ashfang Village could have ever hoped to gather in generations.
And so, although the child within him desperately wished to admire every detail around him like it was a novelty, somehow, despite the breathtaking beauty surrounding him, Riven failed to feel excited by it.
As every time his thoughts began wandering towards the clouds or the paintings, they inevitably returned to the laboratory.
To the Imperial Anatomist.
To Karen.
To the countless researchers and assistants whose faces continued lingering within his memory, as an uncomfortable heaviness settled inside his chest once more, leaving him with little desire to appreciate the luxury that now surrounded him.
For nearly an hour, neither he nor the Duke uttered a single word.
Only the steady beating of the Pegasi’s wings and the occasional creaking of the carriage disturbed the otherwise peaceful silence, while Drew occasionally glanced towards Riven before returning his attention to the endless clouds outside.
Until eventually, it was the Duke who spoke first.
"What do you believe it means to be a Dawnriver, boy?"
He asked, as Riven looked towards him in surprise before lowering his head in thought.
After carefully considering the question for several long moments, he finally answered.
"It means being the Guardians of the East.
It means being the strongest House within the Eastern Province.
It means carrying an undeniable legacy."
Riven replied, as Drew quietly listened without interrupting him.
When the boy finally finished speaking, the Duke slowly shook his head.
"You have been listening too closely to Lucius’s nonsense," Drew said, as disappointment briefly crossed his face.
"Lucius is an exceptional Hypnotist, but he is not a noble. Everything he taught you was based upon how commoners perceive our world rather than how it truly functions."
Riven remained silent.
"The way you carry yourself, the way you sit with your back perfectly straight, the elegance in your speech, your manners... they are all admirable qualities," the Duke continued, as his tone remained calm.
"Superficial noble society values such things, and they will undoubtedly help you avoid embarrassing our House in social gatherings. However, do not mistake appearances for greatness."
The Duke leaned back slightly before folding his arms.
"They are not what makes House Dawnriver what we are."
Riven quietly listened.
"To be a Dawnriver, there is only one quality that you must command above everything else."
The Duke paused, as he raised one finger.
"Fear."
He said, as that single word lingered within the carriage for a long time.
"House Dawnriver was not built through benevolence. It was not built through wise administration. It was not built because the Empire generously entrusted my ancestors with authority. It was built through iron and Aether, one battlefield at a time."
His blue eyes never left Riven.
"When the Empire was still young, my ancestors stood amongst the four greatest generals alive. They were not granted the Eastern Province as a reward for faithful service."
"They claimed it."
"They became so powerful that even the Emperor himself concluded that making allies of House Dawnriver would cost him less than attempting to destroy us."
Only then did Riven begin understanding why the Duke had rejected his earlier answer.
"The Empire calls us the Guardians of the East because that title serves its own interests," Drew continued. "Never confuse a title with the truth. We remain the Guardians because generation after generation has possessed the strength to ensure that nobody dares strip that responsibility away from us."
The Duke’s voice grew noticeably firmer.
"If you ask me what House Dawnriver is all about?
Then I will begin that answer by saying.... House Dawnriver is about having strength above all else."
"We are a house where if someone is kind to us, we are kind to them.
And if someone is mean to us, then we take our revenge.
There is no pointless mercy in us.
There is no sense of serving the Empire.
No desire to aid others, if they can’t aid themselves."
He explained, as his face turned stone cold.
"A true Dawnriver owes no debts."
"A true Dawnriver never lets an insult go unpunished."
"Remember those principles, and you will never disgrace our name."
Drue concluded, as Riven slowly lowered his head.
"I understand, Lord Father."
He replied, as "No!" Drew cut him off immediately.
"You understand the words. Whether you truly understand their meaning remains to be seen."
He said, as a heavy silence settled between them before the Duke spoke again.
"One month from now, the Imperial Academy will begin accepting its next class of students."
His expression remained unreadable.
"You will attend."
Riven instinctively nodded.
"If you arrive there only to vomit at the sight of blood, concern yourself with making friends, or waste your time chasing the approval of your peers, then there was never any point in giving you the Dawnriver name."
The Duke’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"You are not being sent there to become popular."
"You are not being sent there to learn whatever comforting nonsense the Academy chooses to preach."
"You are going there to dominate."
"You are going there to spread fear."
"You are going there so that every noble child who shares a classroom with you graduates remembering one lesson above all others."
The Duke leaned forward.
"House Dawnriver is not a House to be challenged."
He said, as Riven silently committed every word to memory.
"We will talk more about this in the month to come, but for now, look outside the window.
This is our home, Minas Tirth."
He instructed as, the Pegasi gradually began descending through the clouds.
The endless blanket of white slowly parted beneath them before revealing a magnificent city stretching across the landscape below, its towering walls gleaming beneath the evening sun while countless rooftops extended towards the horizon like an endless sea of stone.
As for the very first time, Riven laid eyes upon a proper city, and his new home.