Hagar's Castle was massive, stretching to cover enough ground for well populated village to occupy comfortably. It was built in the dead center of all of Hagar, originally just a fortress to fend off the two warring kingdoms that often had their sights set on Hagar's bountiful supplies and technology. That was back when Hagar wasn't even an official kingdom of itself, when it was just a tiny territory that the kingdoms used to ignore because they were too preoccupied on where the boarders were drawn. And if the very first King Hagar, at the time a Baron of one of the larger, local towns, hadn't been training under a blacksmith who would come to be one of the most famous of Hagar (and eventually almost all of Gaea), Hagar would not have developed the prototypes for the famous airships or even the use of gunpowder. Hagar only knew a decade or two of real warfare against both Griswold and Pelta Lunata; that was all it took to convince the two kingdoms of Hagar's technological prowess and acknowledge the formation of the kingdom of Hagar.

But those days were far over. Hagar built itself up on its technology and sold their weapons only to the kingdom who offered the most money. And then the fortress at the center of Hagar became more of an icon to the kingdom's people. The Baron Hagar was anointed King, his entire town moved into the fortress and it became their royal court, and from there the kingdom of Hagar flourished. The fortress expanded, parts and buildings being added to it as the technology advanced, making the building look like an odd conglomeration of the old and new, and became a sprawling castle that is now today.

And the steady stream of people entering the massive castle were restricted to only one building, the Ascoth Citadel, now being unofficially dubbed as the Citadel of Love and Peace, as a sort of symbolic joke in light of the occasion. It was a tall building complete with towering spires and a bell tower at the very top, and embellished with battlements and Gothic lattices that made the building look majestic, only a single piece of the entire castle. The interior was as colorful as the exterior was majestic, fit with red carpets, marble floors and white marble statues placed at every possible aesthetic place within the building. There were heavy, silk and velvet drapes covering the windows that towered ten, fifteen feet in height; expensive flowers laid in expensive vases set on marbled and jeweled (and expensive) pedestals; exquisite tapestries covering almost every inch of undecorated wall; and even a ceiling painted with murals from Hagar's history, parts leafed in gold. Even the air smelt of a light, fresh (and expensive) perfume everywhere anyone went. There were fires made in great gold basins that were set on climbing ivy-wreathed columns, but not for light, as there were already magicked orbs illuminating the expansive building, carefully positioned as to not obscure anyone's view of the murals, should they dare to look up at the ceiling long enough to look at the murals. The fires warmed the air to keep out the damp of the heavy rain outside, a welcome (though most were too snobbish to admit it) reprieve for the guests.

And oh, the guests that entered the Citadel! They were nobles of both Griswold and Pelta Lunata alike, all dressed to rival the lavishness of the Citadel itself, though most still paled in comparison. It was every thief and burglar's dream. Women were dressed in fine dresses of all colors, and men in equally as colorful suits. Gold and silver jewelry with rare and beautiful gems sparkled on every person, some on every finger. Even the purses and canes were jewel-encrusted, each shouting more value and brilliance than the other. It was a silent game between the all the nobles: Who was the highest value mortal who walked the halls of one of the most expensive buildings standing. There were those of middle-class who wandered the halls as well, though no one who didn't earn at least 5000 pieces of gold in one week, mostly merchants, doctors and engineers of Hagar, though there were a few from the other two kingdoms as well. These were not so extravagantly dressed, looking more like sensible human beings than anything. Most of these people ended up milling in their own side of the room (or corner, as the nobles outnumbered the middle-class at least 3 to 1) as most nobles didn't so much as bother to look their way. Of course, there were those famous middle-class persons, who earned enough to be qualified as a noble.

One doctor was neither famous nor wealthy, though most of those who attended the wedding would never know. He had that regal air about him, educated and most importantly, comfortable in his wallet. He was tall and handsome with a fine, shaven face and smooth dark brown hair tied back into a low pony-tail. His shoulders were broad and his features young but knowledgeable. A black suit covered his body, dotted with some rain, with a red ribbon tying the collar of his white shirt close. He wandered throughout the crowds of nobles, occasionally pausing to watch some figures before moving on. Any who bothered to look at him would probably have immediately assumed that he was up to something, though fortunately for him, the nobles were too arrogant to bother and the middle-class were too conscious of their light wallets to notice.

His attention, along with half of the populace within that great hall, turned toward the grand staircase at the entrance as the sound of the creaking door and distant rain echoed inside. The steward of the Citadel entered from between the dark hallway leading to the entrance, looking weary but still professional. He straightened his back and cleared his throat. He must've been using one of those magicked voice amplifiers because when he did clear his throat, it was loud enough to fill the entire hall.

"Sir Luke Adele of the Adele family," the steward bellowed mechanically. Most of the nobles turned to look, interest toward this relatively unknown family name clear in their eyes. The steward continued, glancing momentarily down at a guest book in his hands, "Airship engineer of the Illustrious Hagar Military."

Upon the word engineer, the nobles' interest disappeared and resumed their conversations. The doctor was perhaps the only one whose eyes remained at the top of the staircase as the steward retired. He watched as Luke emerged at the top of the staircase, looking irritable and tired. There was no one else with him, which was unusual, because most nobles had come with their mates, or friends, or families. The doctor studied the man as he descended the staircase to join the throngs of other nobles, then looked down in thought.

The doctor didn't approach Luke for a few minutes, watching him from a distance and studying the people who came to speak with him. Finally, he spread a smile across his face, pleasant but not all that warm, and moved through the crowds to where Luke was.