If the guard pushed this any farther and found it in their possession, one of two things was going to happen. He would either recognize it for what it was and they would get an immediate audience with Queen Ilirra, or they would be taken away as obvious thieves, to be punished in any way they saw fit. The punishment would surely come quickly.
“What my friend is trying to say is that we were hoping to see Queen Ilirra Marosia on our tour of Taron,” Eric said, trying to think fast. “We are from a small farming community several miles south of here. As you can see, Jade here is well-traveled.” He gestured toward her as she smiled nervously. “She promised us a tour of Taron. We just thought we might get lucky and see Her Majesty. Nothing but wishful thinking from a couple of farm boys.” He did his best to force the most innocent-looking smile he could muster while the other two held their breaths.
The silence couldn’t possibly have been as long as it seemed, but it certainly felt long enough. Suddenly, the fat man and both guards began laughing at the same time. “Go on, go on,” the guard said, chuckling as he dismissed them with a flick of his wrist. “Welcome to Taron, and enjoy your little tour.” As they rode through the gate, the guard belted out one last taunt. “I’ll tell the Queen to find you and say hello!” The laughter even spread to the people in line waiting to get in. Humiliated yet relieved at the same time, they both began browbeating Jacob for his rash thinking as they scurried through.
The guard eyed them thoughtfully as he watched them disappear into the crowd. “Better keep an eye on those three,” he said to the second guard as he rubbed his chin. “Find out where they’re staying and report it, along with their names. It’s probably nothing, but it won’t hurt to check them out.”
“But if they’re trying to hide something, the names they gave are almost certainly fake,” his partner said in a pleading voice, no doubt because his shift was ending and he didn’t feel like committing to anything else this late in the day. But a quick sharp glance proved to him there would be no arguing here. Seeing it was hopeless, he sighed hard as he rolled his eyes. “And who should I report this information to?” he said, clearly irritated.
The soldier glared at the man incredulously. “Why, Captain Azek Lamanton, of course.”
*
The three companions rode slowly through the crowded street as owners of shops stood out on the walkways boasting about their special deals of the day, deals they claimed would no longer be valid tomorrow. Of course, with a new day came a new deal. Most folk were used to the sale pitches and they marched past the merchants without a second glance, in search of the items they had set their minds to.
The sweet aromas of smoked meats and fresh-baked bread filled the street. Shop owners waved apples in the air as butchers displayed the links of sausages hung outside their establishments.
The shops were well-maintained, and the walkways seemed properly swept despite all the heavy traffic. Eric and Jacob were fascinated by all the people scurrying through the streets and walkways. Not just by their sheer number, but by the many different ethnic looks. All had different skin tones and hair color; even the shapes of their eyes and noses hinted at wondrous new lands begging to be explored.
Even the fashions seemed strange to them in some cases. They saw everything from fancy vests and britches, to what appeared to be full body robes in a rainbow of different colors. Some women had their faces completely covered with brightly colored lacy veils, but even the thin veils could not hide their smiles when they caught the boys staring.
Even with constant distractions abound, nothing drew more of their attention than seeing the Queen’s palace as it came into view. Even though they were still a long way from it, it was quite visible... and massive! Yet another white wall surrounded the wondrous architecture, similar to the outer city’s.
The palace itself was as white as a cloud, with three thick towers that seemed to sprout right from the ground. Each tower displayed a deep blue bubble-shaped roof that was considerably larger than the tower itself. Even Jade’s breath was stolen by its sheer beauty. Even though she knew all about the palace, she had never seen it in person.
“We need to keep moving toward the palace. Once we’re close, we’ll stop at an inn and try to figure out our next move,” Jade said as she pointed up the road. The two nodded absently as their eyes wandered in circles, as if wondering what to do first. “It’s OK guys, don’t worry. We got this far didn’t we? Just let me think this through for a night, and I’ll come up with something,” she said, flashing her smile at both of them. She didn’t feel as confident as she appeared, but that wasn’t the point. The guys perked up a bit and seemed more focused as her positive words set in. That was all the response she was looking for.