Louisa's POV
The carriage stopped.
Lucian took a glance outside and said, "Here we are."
He lifted the curtain and walked out of the carriage.
I saw a tall, lanky, white-haired cartman standing next to the carriage.
"Welcome to Skagen City, Miss." He looked a bit shy, stretching out his arms towards me, trying to help me to get off the carriage.
His eyes were pale gray, like being covered by a mist of fog, suggesting that he was suffering from Albinism.
That must be Alex. I thought to myself. The security guard at Ragnar's Hall was talking to Lucian about his younger brother, who was Albinic.
I got off the cart with the help of his arms.
"Thank you, Alex," I said and smiled at him.
He seemed to be surprised that I knew his name. He scratched his head and blushed.
"You're welcome, Miss," he said.
Colt popped up from the back of the carriage and said, "Alex's amazing! He knows everything about carts!"
I wiped a stain of engine oil off Colt's face and said, "Where have you been?"
"The bottom of the cart!" He said with a big smile on his face. "Alex used the most kiss-ass expansion bolts to build this cart!"
I turned to Alex and looked at him with surprise.
"Alex, have you built this cart yourself?" I asked.
"Yeah. I build things for Alpha. It's just something that I do..." Alex looked a bit embarrassed.
"You're amazing! It takes outstanding craftsmanship to build a grand carriage like this." I praised.
"Miss, you're so charming. I am flattered." Alex bowed slightly and said modestly.
"Please do join us to walk around in the city." I invited him. "Colt will be very happy to talk to you."
"I'm sorry, Miss..."
"You can call me Louisa."
Alex lowered his head and continued, "Miss Louisa. I don't think it's a good idea for someone like me to show up in the city. Please enjoy your trip and I'll be waiting right here for you."
I frowned and looked at Lucian, who gave me his arm and said, "Shall we?"
I looked at Colt, who was waving to me with a big smile, "Don't worry! I'm going to stay with Alex."
I frowned and nodded slightly at him.
Then, I wrapped my arms around Lucian's arm and walked away with him.
"Why can't Alex join us?" I looked up at Lucian and asked.
"His disease is considered to be unfortunate," Lucian said, "People won't talk to us or sell us anything if he's with us."
I argued, "But he's such a talented young man! He has built a carriage! A very soundproof and balanced one!"
Lucian stared at me and said, "I know what you mean. That's why I offered him a job. But I can't change what people think of him. So I guess they aren't fortunate enough to enjoy such a great carriage in their lives."
"I have never seen a man with this kind of disease before," I said.
"It's not a rare disease. The reason you don't see them often is that they are hidden from public view. They are treated like family scandals and locked up like animals in the darkest room in their houses. Most of them passed away within a decade since they were born because of the deprivation of sunshine and freedom." As he was talking, I could see that he started to get a bit emotional.
"How do you know about this?" I asked.
He didn't answer. Instead, he said, "Alpine, Alex's brother, is a really great man. He walked to our camp on a rainy day and stood in the rain for three hours in order to talk to me, pleading for a job offered to Alex. Alpine's very proud of his brother. He's proud for a reason. Alex's brilliant young man and a great craftsman."
"Did Lucas agree to accept Alex?" I asked.
Lucian replied, "Of course. He's the Alpha of our pack. Everything goes through him. I can't make any decisions without his consent."
"Oh, really? I thought he was one of those people who would rip poor and sick people into pieces." I mumbled.
"He only does it on Mondays," Lucian said with a glint in his eyes.
"What?" I looked up at his poker face.
"I'm joking, Miss She-wolf." Lucian's lips curled up a bit. "Lucian is a very open-minded person. That's why a lot of people from the old world hate him. But at the same time, a lot of people like him."
"You seem to be in a pretty good mood today," I said.
Lucian said, "I enjoy shopping in the city. I want to buy Gianna some presents and something for the baby. I might need your advice."
I looked around and saw people on the street looking at us.
Everyone seemed to be excited to see Lucian, especially the young girls.
They giggled and waved at him, trying to get his attention.
"You look like a big star walking in the city." I looked at Lucian and said.
"Skagen is a city that we built from scratch. This place used to be a small border checkpoint in the middle of nowhere when we first came. I still remember the day. When we got off the horses, I saw a pair of wooden slippers left on the deserted ground and an empty chair. That's it. Lucas took a look at it and he goes, 'Checkpoint my ass.' I found it was a very precise description of the situation at that time."
I burst into laughter when he took off Lucas. I could imagine the look on Lucas' face.
Lucian continued, "Then, we relocated some people, people from all tribes, and mingled them together without class and bias. We brought in builders, farmers, craftsmen, traders, and hookers. We built houses, bridges, roads, aqueducts, and fortifications. Everyone is treated as an equal citizen in Skagen. As long as they pay their taxes and live an honest life, they are the protégé of the White Walkers. Now, you can see, this city is on the rise and it's amazing to see people thrive."
Looking at the surroundings, I couldn't believe this marvelous, modernized city was created from a pair of slippers and an empty chair. I was amazed at the power of transforming a simple idea into something so concrete and magnificent.
Is this the higher purpose Lucas was talking about the other day? The power to beat everything into shape, to realize a dream, to provide a place where people can live without class and bias.
Lucian said, "The reason I took you here today is for shopping. But at the same time, I want to show you a real city built by the White Walkers. There's too much rumor about us lurking around and I want you to see it for yourself. After all, seeing is believing."