The city was beautiful. Ernest thought that she had never seen a nicer place in her life - although it was a lot easier to like somewhere when you knew no one there either wanted to kill you or would in a few days. Of course, the orcs wanted to kill her, but, according to Silanus, they were just mad at the Fratians in general. 
She suddenly realized that Silanus was waiting for a reply. "It's amazing," she said. "Thank you for inviting me here." 
The two of them set off down the main street, Ernest turning her head to try and see everything while still not running into anyone; she had a feeling that wasn't the best way to enter a city. Not that she had much practice - her usual method of entering cities was to hide in the crowd and hope no one paid attention to her. That method, she reflected, didn't work as well when you were walking down the street with the general.
She could feel people watching her. She knew it was only a natural response on their part, but she didn't like it. She wasn't used to being conspicuous. 
"There are a lot of people here," she commented. "Are you in charge of the whole city?" 

Again, Tacitus Silanus could see how nervous Ernest was. The people didn't surround them, but instead they watched from quite a distance, since it was dangerous to approach the general himself without permission. It might be considered as an assault attempt, and guards are not very kind with suspected criminals…

The guards, all armoured in a similar way than Silanus and the other troopers (except the guards had a bronze coloured armor, while the soldiers had dark steel coloured ones.) Approached the crowd, just in case someone attempts to get too close. The merchants, seeing Silanus, tried to offer their wares to him, while the other citizens were mostly looking and either applauding or minding their businesses.

"I do, actually. Of course, there is a small senate and some counsrlors who help me. But I will, by decision of the Fratian army and the senate, become the Emperor of Amiternum one day. However, first I must unify the Steppes under the Fratian flag; until then I am simply a general with political power" Said Silanus, while waving his hand at the citizens who were trying to get his attention. Silanus guided Ernest towards the high district, where mostly public and important buildings took place. Here, the buildings that took place were a large statue of a Fratian soldier holding a spear, a temple of the Divine Ancestors, a public bath, a small fountain and of course, the City Palace. The people who lived here weere Silanus and his cousin Illia, one important noble (also, an arrogant woman who was full of herself) and other kind of important politicians and their servants lived. 

"Well I suppose that, as an honor citizen, you have the right to see the palace. What do you think?" Asked Silanus, giving one small smirk at Ernest.

Ernest stared for a second before realizing that was probably rude and turning back to face where they were going. She had become… well, she supposed, a friend, of the to-be emperor of Amiternum. Never had she thought that something like that could happen.

He asked if she would like to see the palace, and Ernest almost fell off her horse. "Yes, please," she said, suddenly excited. She had never seen a palace before - except on the outside. She had tried to pickpocket a lady right outside of a palace once, but that was her total experience with palaces. 

It was a little odd, she thought, how different this was from her normal life. Silanus, talking about politics and senates and uniting kingdoms. All of that was foreign to her. She wondered what it was like, being someone powerful and influential. "Is is strange having so much power?" she asked. "I mean, knowing that you can bend an entire nation to your rule. I would think it would be rather extraordinary." Although, maybe he was used to it. Who knew?

What curious questions Ernest asked, Silanus thought. He would have expected a question like that, though. Ernest didn't seem to be familiar with such situations. Being with the governor of a city, no, a whole empire… That would be such honour!

"All what you see here is normal for me. My father was the chief of the once smaller Fratis Clan, which was destroyed when I was six. My cousin and I fled with other survivors, as the son of the Chief of course I was praised as a governor." Said Silanus, proud of his history. He was proud that his family died defending the Clan and was honoured to be the leader of the new clan, which then grew to be an Empire. 

Looking at Ernest again, asked Silanus: "And you? What's your story before I assaulted the caravan? Did you have a familiar in there? Were you fleeing or simply hoping for a better begining?" The general supposed Ernest had no noble bounds or something like that. He thought she probably was a merchant or that she hired the carriage she was in to other people. A honest job, perhaps?

Ernest supposed it was natural for him to ask about her life, but she still felt shy about it. She had gone many years without anyone knowing who she was. Then again, she had never really gotten to know anyone.

"I suppose my story isn't very interesting," she said with a shrug. "I grew up in a little village with no name that I know of. My family…" she paused. It had been a long time, but it still saddened her. "The family I knew died in a fever when I was twelve. I became a wanderer after that. I knew no one on the caravan. Actually, I wasn't even supposed to be on there. I was just trying to get somewhere else because several shopkeepers were trying to get me arrested for stealing from them."

She sighed, knowing that she must look petty and insignificant next to Silanus. "I suppose most people would call me a bad person, but I've never thought that. Even good people must have bad luck sometimes."

It occurred to her, oddly, that she and Silanus had more in common than she had once thought. They both had lost their parents to a trouble they had escaped, and, in the life they had built, had made many enemies. It was an odd thought.

How interesting her story was, thought Silanus. None… None of this insignificant bloodshed, no war, no conquest or kingdoms. Only a simple orphan who tried to make a life in the cruel, crude world she lived in. Hard as it can get, Ernest was able to live on, even if her actions were not a very prestigious and she had to live on as a criminal.

Quite fascinated by the story of a poor girl who grew up to be a thief, struggling to do things that seemed so simple and necessary to him, for example finding shelter, Silanus spoke to her: "It seems life has never treated you fairly, but in an inhumane way instead. That people, instead of trying to help you, have made your life harder than it should have been." Silanus, looking at the floor, thinking about what he would have done in her situation.

The general sat down in a bench, made of a very fine stone with marble handlings. Of course, he offered Ernest to take a seat, be in the same bench or in one of the two chairs that surrounded it. "You don't have to live in a such mundane way, Ernest. You may live as a patrician in this city, be my guest. My party will pay for your livings, consider it as an act of sympathy; both for helping us against the wolves and forgiving us for trying to enslave you." 

Silanus stood up, hiding his left arm behind his long, red cloak, while indicating with his right arm to look around. "If you'd like, you may be able to select a district to live in. As long as you don't disturb the everlasting peace of the mighty Amiternum and live under her rules, you may get whatever you ask for. Live as a noble, something you have never experienced, yet deserve to." Why was he doing this? Asked himself. He has enslaved, murdered and even sacked cities, yet he was allowing a random thief to live as a noble! Perhaps Ernest's story made him feel identified quite a bit?

This was not what Ernest had expected from the general. She stared blankly at Silanus for a minute. To live here, in this wonderful city, without needing to worry about anything… she had never thought that might happen. She did not even know how to respond.

It was tempting to accept his offer. To become a noble and stay here forever. But, on the other hand, she wondered, what would she do? Her life revolved around endless days on the road, travelling, finding food and shelter where she could. What would her life be without that. And the things she had discovered - would she give that all up? Still, a part of her told her that she was being foolish, that she would only be giving up hardships, nothing more. 

She stood still, and her fingers fluttered down to her bag by chance touching the thin papery rim of a map. A memory flickered through her head - her uncle Alf, offering her the map. He had told her it was hers, the island on there, and she had dedicated her life to finding it. Was she simply going to turn her back on her dream?

"Thank you, " she said, "for offering all this to me. I am honoured. But, I am afraid I cannot accept. I am a wanderer, an explorer. I do not think I can give that up. Your city is wonderful, and if I am near, I would gladly come and visit for a little while, but I do not think I could stay for a long time. I wouldn't know what to do with myself."

What a pity, thought Silanus. Ernest could have had the world of a real patrician, yet she was so used to the wanderer, nomad's life that she refused it. Even if Silanus had trouble understanding it, he had to respect her decision. Changing one's whole life can be hard…

The general was looking kind of disappointed, he was hoping her to accept his offer. Silanus turned his gaze to the window. The weather was not really calm; it was windy and perhaps it would probably start to rain soon. When he turned his sight at Ernest once again, he answered: "I understand it's not your lifestyle, still your answer is kind of dispiriting. You may stay and leave whenever you please."

Silanus sat down once again, with a neutral look in his face. He still wanted to ask some questions about her different and particular lifestyle, perhaps some anecdotes? "If you want to keep exploring the city, simply let me know. Even if the weather is not the best. Same thing if you're hungry or tired, the best cooks of Canelux are here…" A sinister grin appeared on the general's face, adding some few words to his last statement: The best cooks of Canelux are kept here, even if some of them are here against their against their will, haha…"

Ernest raised her eyebrows at his last statement. "That sounds like something you would do," she said, recalling her first encounter with the general. "I'll probably go look around the city a bit. It's very beautiful. The weather doesn't really bother me. I don't stay inside much, so I have to be used to it." She paused, and then grinned. "One of the last times I was inside I woke up with a chicken on my face."

Changing topics, she asked, "I am curious - what do you do with your time? I mean, not to be rude, but I can't think of what I'd do if I wasn't so preoccupied with surviving and moving around. That's pretty much my whole life. Not that I mind it, that's just how it is."

She glanced outside and watched the wind blow. 

It was good to know Ernest still wanted to explore the city; it would have been a waste to simply stay inside. Silanus stood up and guided her outside the palace, on the upper class or "patrician"district. While walking, he began to answer Ernest's questions.

"I do not usually stay in Amiternum for more than a month, as I have to constantly visit my brethren scattered in small towers or forts all across Canelux. Speeches and the sort, to boost the garrisoned soldiers' morale. Would you fight for someone you don't even know?" As he answered to Ernest, they stopped on a rather large building.

The building had two big statues. One of an armoured woman raising a sword and the other one of a mounted soldier, with a long halberd on his hand pointing towards. "While I am in the city I usually relax in a hot bath, or simply hone my battle skills." Changing topics, Silanus pointed his hand to the building and continued speaking: "This was the first building of Amiternum, the Ancestry Temple. We are not religious people, as we often pursue logic and wisdom, however we tribute our ancestors who guide our paths. That woman is the first Fratian mother, who lived back before the Adeluna people conquered the Vipolan coast and of course a lot before it became the abandoned pirate slum it is today." 

"The man, of course, is my father! You can see how inspiring and attractive he is, just as his successor!" A little joke between all this serious talking was of no harm! This was Silanus' favorite place, it was pretty obvious judging by his smile.