The White Queen, on the other hand, had a very different opinion from her sister. “Considering this isle is not intended for chess pieces, there is a very orderly approach to things. Not all walks of life use chess boards to determine how to move, after all. But the buildings are so... How do you put it? Tacky? Yes, that’s it. The buildings are so tacky and uninspired. There’s no creativity in them. It’s all straight lines and blah! My castle was built by one of the most creative chess pieces in all the Green Isles.” Unfortunately, the Four Winds was unable to get any more statements from the two queens as of press time due to an argument over the architecture of the buildings and the design of their own castles.

Leading up to the inaugural flight, there have been rumors that King Alexander and Queen Cassima would themselves attend. Not only did they attend, but they also gave an exclusive statement to the Four Winds.

“Having once journeyed to this Isle myself upon arriving in the kingdom, I find it fascinating to finally see it from the air,” stated King Alexander. “My own visit was limited in its scope, and there is far more to the Winged Ones’ city than I had guessed. Most of my subjects do not possess the unique ability to fly, naturally, but now, thanks to the genius of the Mountgo Brothers, all of my subjects can see this isle for the first time, in the way it was meant to be seen, no less.”

Queen Cassima admits she has never seen the City of the Winged Ones herself, but after hearing so many stories of it from her husband and years of curiosity, she was eager to finally take the airborne tour.

“Alexander has told me over and over again about the beauties of this isle. He has recalled his time climbing the infamous Cliffs of Logic and his fated encounter with The Oracle. But above all else, he wished I were there to share the sights with him. Once we heard about the inaugural flight, we knew we had to attend.” The Cliffs of Logic have been replaced by a grand staircase, and the face of the Cliffs are displayed elsewhere on the island to preserve their memory as a part of the island’s history.

Prince Cocteau III and his wife, Beauty, stated they were “very impressed” with the city of the Winged Ones.

“Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined myself flying over this magnificent city. I went from a fair maiden to a beautiful princess in one day, and now, only a short time later, I am flying over the City of the Winged Ones,” stated Beauty.

The City of the Winged Ones also has a massive wall that has been dubbed the “Wall of Omnipotence” which goes beyond the eye sight of any being. According to King Alexander, “The wall is by far the biggest wall I’ve ever lay witness to. No matter how high the balloon flew, we would never see the end

The Mountgo Brothers

of it. It goes on seemingly forever, far above the clouds. Only the wind itself could possibly have seen the top!”

Unfortunately, the flight didn’t go entirely as planned. Following a miscalculation of the weight that the balloon could handle, the balloon flew lower than the rulers of the Isle had approved and tipped unexpectedly on some turns. No damage or injuries resulted, and Amar Mountgo insists that this is “a minor and temporary issue” and that “a fix is in the works.”* The Mountgo Brothers also plan to give the Four Winds an exclusive tour of the Isle of the Sacred Mountain soon. The hot air balloon service is expected to open publicly in a matter of weeks.

*Editors Note: Shortly after this article was written, more information has come to light. Unfortunately, the miscalculation mentioned previously has forced the Mountgo Brothers to close their business. The unnamed representative of the Isle of the Sacred Mountain was later revealed to be a safety inspector dispatched by Lord Azure personally. His review of the experience and the balloon itself were less than soaring. There are, however, rumors that this Safety Inspector was given orders to sabotage the flight. The Four Winds was unable to verify the validity of these claims, but is pursuing their research into the matter.